Secondary excision for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: an evaluation of two treatment methods

Abstract

A small proportion of women require repeat treatments for cervical intraepithelial neolpasia (CIN). This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two cervical excisional techniques offered within a London teaching hospital (large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ) and laser cone biopsy) when carried out as secondary procedures. A significantly larger volume of tissue was excised following laser cone biopsy, however the depth of the specimen did not differ significantly. A trend for a larger percentage of secondary specimens, resulting in complete endo-cervical margins and a larger proportion of women achieving cytology negative for CIN post-treatment was shown within the laser cone biopsy group.

Keywords:

• Cervix biopsy
• cone volume
• excision margins
• laser
• LLETZ

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.