ECSVD 2025 | Conference Report: 15. Congress of the European College for the Study of Vulval Disease

For the first time ever the Congress of the European College for the
Study of Vulval Disease was held in Germany with Hamburg as its
host.

From 18 to 20 September 2025, the city welcomed 310 members of the European College for the Study of Vulval Disease (ECSVD) to its 15th congress, which was held in Germany for the first time.

Participants from 24 different countries enjoyed a programme comprising educational plenary lectures, hot topic lectures, interesting interactive sessions, and presentations of abstracts on the latest scientific work carried out by current and future members.

Warming up with a practical pre-congress

The congress began with a practical pre-congress session offering workshops on biopsy taking, ablative and non-ablative laser treatment, and reconstruction following mutilation and cancer surgery. The sessions were led by Dr. Christopher Koßagk and Dr. Alexander Luyten, as well as PD Dr Dan Mon O’Dey and provided valuable insights into reconstructive surgical techniques for vulval disease. Participants had the opportunity to practise different methods on vulval skin models. In the laser workshop, attendees tried procedures such as laser skin vulvectomy and worked with advanced equipment offering a three-dimensional view with a nexus code for vaporisation and other applications. These devices are typically used in outpatient clinics and operating theatres. This workshop provided participants with their first opportunity to perform excisional techniques, while also showing videos of typical procedures used in daily practice.

With the help of case examples, participants of the surgical workshop guided through different approaches to vulva reconstruction, looking at all the details. PD Dr. mon O’Dey shared benefits of surgical techniques for dissection and explained how different a resonstruction can be depending on the individual patient history. He then presented results of the surgeries and pointed out the importance of a closer look at the reconstructed areas.

Welcoming experts from all over the world

On Friday, Congress President Prof. Dr. LinnWoelber, Head of the Dysplasia Unit inHamburg, officially opened the 15th Congress ofthe European College for the Study of VulvalDisease. She outlined this year’s focus on pre-invasive and invasive diseases while noting thatthe congress program covered all the aspects ofvulval diseases including interesting new datafrom all the national and international expertsattending the ECSVD Congress 2025. Prof. Dr.Woelber highlighted the congress as an uniqueopportunity for interdisciplinary education – atthe interface between gynecology, dermatology,surgery and pathology.

The given interdisciplinary setting is an approach the field needs to advance patient care.

Prof. Dr. Barbara Schmalfeldt, Director of the Department of Gynecology at the UniversityMedical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and past-president of the DGGG, welcomed theaudience at the first ever German congress of the European College for the Study of VulvalDisease. She emphasized the great honour of hosting leading international experts inHamburg. Vaginal and vulval disease, she noted, is an important part of women’s health anda key priority of Germany’s coalition agreement. In order to raise awareness for vulvovaginaldiseases, Prof. Dr. Schmalfeldt stressed, ultimate knowledge is required to treat the patientsas best as possible on the highest level of evidence. She introduced a congress program thatcovered all the issues on diagnosis and evidence-based multi-professional treatmentregiments as well as deep insights on latest research findings, wishing all the participants avery constructive meeting with a good academic and collegial exchange.

With participants from a total of 24 different countries, the congress promised to be a uniqueplatform for professional collaboration.

Diverse presentations by current and future ECSVD-members

The first day featured a broad range of topics in vulval diseases. After giving an overview of basic facts including vulvar anatomy, the congress turned to interesting lectures about common vulva dermatoses. Presentations addressed lichen sclerosus, lichen planus as well as alternative topical options like Laser, PDT and plasma or future treatment options. Vulvar pain was another important theme on the day’s agenda.

The following sessions about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) were another highlight of day one at the ECSVD Congress. The referees used the opportunity to present interesting insights in FGM.

Dr. Jasmine Abdulcadir (Geneva) presented a study on FGM that took social factors like body image, sexual response or pain into account. The findings showed a lot of aspects you need to consider during the complexity of treatment and management. It starts from access, acknowledges the diversity of the patients and weighs all the options to consider for therapy. She stressed the importance of available tools, studies and a doctor’s own knowledge as the awareness of potential biases.

PD Dr. Dan mon O’Dey (Heidelberg) spoke about anatomic reconstruction following FemaleGenital Cutting not only covering surgical techniques but the restauration of function, formand dignity as well as of a female identity in the affected. He also emphasized the meaningof social factors. An important message from his presentation: Culturally FGM means socialintegration and economic protection. But anatomically it means major tissue loss resulting inminor form and function. Anatomic reconstruction helps with the restauration of integrity andsupports physical or psychological balance.

Later sessions explored the vulva and the vaginal microbioma, and attendees learned moreabout infectious diseases. Next to candidosis and aerobic colpitis, an update on STDs wasone of the major topics. Dr. Johan Chanal (Paris) presented a study on treatment for differentkinds of STD including Syphillis or HIV. His focus lied on antibiotic treatment as well asprevention. The study demonstrated numbers and treatment options comparing people ofdifferent age or across different countries. Another remarkable contribution was a lectureabout the indication and performance of molecular tests for suspected vulvovaginalinfections. Prof. Dr. Werner Mendling (Wuppertal) discussed tests for the vaginal microbiota,bacterial vaginosis, streptococcus infection, desquamative inflammatory vaginitis, sexualtransmitted diseases and more. The day concluded with a lecture on hidradenitis suppurativaheld by dermatologist Dr. Mareike Alter (Minden).

Focus on pre-invasive and invasive diseases

The second day promised engrossing contributionsabout pre-invasive diseases with presentations onvulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN), prophylaxis ofvulvar precancerous conditions as well anal lesions andPaget’s disease. Presentations covered epidemiologyand risk factors,tumorbiology and recent developmentsin invasive diseases as well as surgery of the primartumor. The congress's second day was marked bylectures on the treatment of lymphatics, radio-oncology,and developments in the systematic therapy ofgynaecological squamous cell cancer.

Awards for outstanding scientific abstracts

Another key point of the ECSVD Congress were multiple abstracts presented by young
talents. For more information and the full list and details, please -> read this separate post.

Social events for more collegial exchange

The social program following the scientific part of the congress crowned the collegial exchange at the ECSVD Congress 2025, underlining the importance of interdisciplinary networking in order to discuss and further develop the scientific knowledge in vulval diseases. The congress was another step in advancing the dialog and collaboration, paving the way for future progress on the diagnosis, treatment, and awareness of vulval disease.