Posterior Cervical Groove–Associated Recurrent Vaginitis (PCG-RV):First Description of a Novel Functional Cervical Variant Confirmed by Narrow-BandImaging

Background:Recurrent vaginitis resistant to standard antimicrobial and antifungal therapy remains achallenging clinical problem. While infectious and host-related factors are frequentlyinvestigated, subtle cervical anatomical variants are rarely considered as contributingcauses.Case Presentation:We report the case of a 40-year-old multiparous woman (G3P3), all deliveries bycesarean section, with no history of vaginal delivery or cervical surgery, presenting withsevere recurrent vaginitis refractory to repeated medical treatment. Endoscopicevaluation using white light and Narrow-Band Imaging (NBI) revealed a longitudinalposterior cervical groove extending along the entire posterior cervical lip, withaccumulation of whitish debris consistent with Candida infection.Results:NBI demonstrated preserved epithelial continuity and a normal vascular pattern (TypeI–II), characterized by minimal branching capillaries without punctation, mosaicism, orneoangiogenesis. The remaining cervical tissue, cervical os, and squamocolumnarjunction were normal.Conclusion:This report represents the first description of Posterior Cervical Groove–AssociatedRecurrent Vaginitis (PCG-RV) as a novel functional cervical variant. The findingssuggest that this groove acts as a reservoir for persistent infection despite preservedcervical vascular and epithelial health. NBI is essential for differentiating this benignstructural variant from pathological cervical lesions.