Vaginal dilatation remains a safe and effective first-line treatment when creation of a neo-vagina is required and is preferable to surgical techniques such as bowel vaginoplasty, Australian clinicians say.

Reporting a success rate above 90%, gynaecologists from the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital say the results of a review of cases over 10 years “show encouraging consistencies” with overseas data.

“The addition of our small series to the global literature reaffirms the place for non-surgical management for creation of a functioning neo-vagina, and that Australian women responded well to dilatation therapy,” they wrote.

Their findings also underline the importance of offering counselling to women considering dilator therapy, as psychological difficulties can be a barrier to commencing treatment.