A careful examination should be made in every case for the purpose of ascertaining whether the vaginismus is not caused or aggravated by fissures, ulcers, or excoriations about the parts; if any are found, they should be properly treated. If any symptoms point toward the rectum or urethra, they should be examined. A patient of the author's suffered from vaginismus during some years, owing wholly to a fissure of the anus, and was cured by an operation for the anal disease alone.
Owing to the pain an ordinary examination produces, it will generally be necessary to etherize the patient before attempting to make a thorough and careful examination.
In anæmic or excessively nervous patients other treatment than local is necessary. Tonics, such as iron, quinia, strychnia, sea-bathing, etc., change of scene, and such kinds of exercise as improve the tone of the nervous organism, should be prescribed. If the trouble is due to some uterine or pelvic disorder, a cure can be effected only by attention to the primary affection.
Some of the modes of treatment that have been mentioned, if persevered in, will succeed in curing many cases without having recourse to any surgical procedure. If, however, a case has not yielded to any of the means heretofore suggested, then some form of surgical operation becomes necessary. The simplest is the one advocated by Scanzoni and Tilt, and consists in a forcible dilatation of the ostium vaginæ with the thumbs, after the manner first practised by Récamier of forcible dilatation of the sphincters in fissure of the anus. Temporary paralysis of the vaginal sphincters is by this means effected, and should be followed by the insertion of a large vaginal dilator, to be worn for several days and held in position by a T-bandage. This sometimes effects a permanent cure, but if a single trial fails to accomplish it, yet the patient is considerably benefited, it ought to be repeated; in the mean time the use of the dilator with one of the ointments previously mentioned should be persevered in.
When the disorder has existed a long time, the muscular power has increased, and the forcible dilatation may require more exercise of strength than can be exerted by the thumbs alone; under such circumstances the writer has been in the habit of using Symes's universal speculum or a tri-bladed rectal speculum, and gradually dilating the vagina to the extent required.
If any of the modes of treatment that have been mentioned fail to effect a cure, or reasons exist for not making use of them, then the radical treatment of Sims or some one of its modifications will be requisite.
A full description of the various surgical procedures and the views of different authorities cannot with appropriateness be presented in this work.
Sims's operation is made as follows: The patient is fully anæsthetized and placed upon her back; then with curved scissors every vestige of the hymen is removed. It is important that this be most thoroughly done, for it has occurred that by leaving a small portion success has not been complete. As soon as the bleeding has stopped the fourchette is put upon the stretch by inserting the middle and index fingers, and with a scalpel a Y-shaped incision is made through the mucous membrane and part of the muscular fibres on each side of the perpendicular line extending into the perineum. After this a glass vaginal dilator is placed in the vaginal canal and worn two hours each morning and night, or as much of the night as it can be tolerated. This should be continued for about a month. There are several sizes of the dilator, and in selecting one to be worn care should be taken not to use one that is too large. Morphine suppositories per rectum should be used as often as is requisite for the relief of pain. A copious vaginal injection is necessary for the sake of cleanliness after each removal of the dilator.
Sims's dilators are made of glass, the outer end open, the inner closed, and of a conical shape; on the upper side is a depression to avoid pressure on the urethra.