Lipschütz genital ulcer revisited: is juvenile gangrenous vasculitis of the scrotum the male counterpart?

Since its first description as ulcus vulvae acutum by Benjamin Lipschütz in 1912, the etiopathogenesis of this peculiar genital ulcer remains incompletely understood. In his original description, two different types of genital ulcers were observed and proposed, which were not precisely defined and distinguished in most subsequent reports. The first type is characterized by acute excruciating genital ulcers of first-time onset with self-limited non-recurrent course in association with gravely symptomatic systemic infections, in which a primary Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is later identified to be probably the most common aetiology. The second type of ulcer usually refers to little painful ulcers of unknown etiopathogenesis in the absence of fever or chills and with a slow torpid progression and recurrent nature. Differentiation from idiopathic aphthous ulcers is unclear. The changes of the cervicovaginal microbiota and microbiome in diseased state deserve further clarification. Acute genital ulcers associated with primary EBV infection in women have drawn attention since 1970s, while the corresponding penile ulcers in men were already known in 1950s. First presented in 1973, juvenile gangrenous vasculitis of the scrotum with an acute painful scrotal ulcer preceded by symptomatic pharyngeal infections can be considered as the male counterpart of ulcus vulvae acutum, and the future clinical survey should include primary EBV infection.