Clinical spectrum of desquamative inflammatory vaginitis.

Desquamative inflammatory vaginitis (DIV) is a rare chronic clinical syndrome of unknown etiology characterized by profuse purulent vaginal discharge, diffuse exudative vaginitis, epithelial cell exfoliation, and pain. A diagnosis of DIV is often missed by even experienced practitioners owing to its rarity and its clinical and laboratory presentation similar to other inflammatory vulvovaginal disorders. Although DIV is difficult to treat and often requires long-term therapy for maintenance, successful therapy has been reported with topical steroids and clindamycin.