Development of a Vulvar Scarring Grading Scale for Lichen Sclerosus

Utilizing the vulvar disorders registry, protocol #STU00001056, the research team seeks to analyze the medical record data, including standard of care vulvar photographs, of the vulvar LS population at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) and the outpatient clinics of Northwestern Medicine (NM). These photographs will be used to develop a vulvar scarring grading scale for LS. The objective measurement of scarring severity in LS deidentified standard-of-care patient photographs will be correlated with clinical examination findings to assess validity of the grading scale. The development of an objective and standardized grading scale will assist with the longitudinal evaluation of individual disease, assessment of impact of therapy on scarring, and inform treatment modifications. Further, objective grading of scarring would also provide the opportunity to search for potential correlation between QoL scores and severity of clinical states in scarring dermatoses.