Cervical conization explained

Cervical conization refers to an excision of a cone-shaped portion of tissue from the mucous membrane of the cervix. Conization is used for diagnostic purposes as part of a biopsy and for therapeutic purposes to remove pre-cancerous cells (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia) or early stage cervical cancer.

Types include:^{[1] [2]}

• Cold knife conization (CKC)
• Laser conization
• Loop electrical excision procedure (LEEP)

Side effects

Cervical conization effectively reduces the risk of cancer developing or spreading but it causes an increased risk of premature birth in future pregnancies.

The chances of cancer recurrence and premature birth depends on the type of conization. Cold knife conization is associated with 7% chance of the cancer recurring and 16% chance of premature birth, laser conisation comes with 6% cancer recurrence and 13% premature birth, and loop excision comes with 10% recurrence and 11% premature birth.

See also

• Cervicectomy

Notes and References

1. Athanasiou . Antonios . Veroniki . Areti Angeliki . Efthimiou . Orestis . Kalliala . Ilkka . Naci . Huseyin . Bowden . Sarah . Paraskevaidi . Maria . Arbyn . Marc . Lyons . Deirdre . Martin-Hirsch . Pierre . Bennett . Phillip . Paraskevaidis . Evangelos . Salanti . Georgia . Kyrgiou . Maria . 2022-07-25 . Comparative effectiveness and risk of preterm birth of local treatments for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and stage IA1 cervical cancer: a systematic review and network meta-analysis . The Lancet Oncology . en . 23 . 8 . 1097–1108 . 10.1016/S1470-2045(22)00334-5 . 9630146 . 35835138.
2. 2023-11-10 . Prevention of cervical cancer: what are the risks and benefits of different treatments? . NIHR Evidence . Plain English summary . National Institute for Health and Care Research . 10.3310/nihrevidence_60599. 265201829 .