Published online Jun 22, 2016. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v6.i2.221
Peer-review started: January 15, 2016
First decision: March 1, 2016
Revised: March 25, 2016
Accepted: May 10, 2016
Article in press: May 11, 2016
Published online: June 22, 2016
Processing time: 157 Days and 7.6 Hours
AIM: To compare hippocampus and amygdala volumes of patients with vaginismus with those of healthy control subjects.
METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging was performed on ten patients with vaginismus and ten control subjects matched for age and gender. Volumes of the hippocampus and amygdala were blindly measured.
RESULTS: We found that the mean right amygdala volume of patients with vaginismus were smaller than that of the healthy controls. With regard to hippocampus volumes, the mean left and right hippocampus volumes were smaller than those of the healthy controls.
CONCLUSION: Our present findings suggest that there have been hippocampus and amygdala structural abnormalities in patients with vaginismus. These changes provide the notion that vaginismus may be a fear-related condition.
Core tip: Our present findings suggest that there have been hippocampus and amygdala structural abnormalities in patients with vaginismus. These changes provide the notion that vaginismus may be a fear-related condition.
