Does the loop electrosurgical excision procedure adversely affect the histopathological interpretation of cervical conization specimens?
Journal
Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica
Journal Volume
73
Journal Issue
9
Pages
726-729
Date Issued
1994
Author(s)
Abstract
Objective. To assess the suitability of conized specimens obtained by loop electrosurgical excision procedure for histopathological interpretation. Methods. We evaluated the histological pictures of 215 tissue sections obtained by loop electrosurgical excision procedure. These sections came from 32 cases of patients with various degrees of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. All women included in our study had a satisfactory colposcopy and no cytological or colposcopic evidence of invasive cancer. We quantified the thickness of thermal damage in the tissue sections using a stage?mounted. calibrated grid microscope. Results. At its greatest extent, thermal damage occurring next to incision lines ranged from 160 to 520 μ (mean 762, SE 14 μ). Two different zones of thermal damage were produced by LEEP: the carbonization and coagulation zones. The carbonization zone was located at the outermost layer and was very thin. measuring from 10 to 30 μ in depth. The coagulation zone was adjacent to the carbonization zone, was eosinophilic, and was significantly deeper than the carbonization zone at its points of greatest thickness (150 to 500 μ; p<0.0001, Student's t?test). The depth of the coagulation zone correlated significantly with the depth of the carbonization zone (p = 0.041. least linear correlation). Tissue distortion was present in 53% (17/32) of the cases, and appeared only in the coagulation zone. Conclusion. Tissue structure from the diseased portions of the conized specimens was generally veil preserved. The area of thermal damage was limited and thus did not result in diagnostic problems. We conclude that LEEP is a reliable method for obtaining tissue samples for histopathological examination. 1994 Informa UK Ltd All rights reserved: reproduction in whole or part not permitted
SDGs
Other Subjects
adult; article; clinical article; colposcopy; electrosurgery; eosinophil; female; histopathology; human; human tissue; priority journal; surgical technique; thermal injury; thickness; tissue section; uterine cervix carcinoma in situ; uterine cervix dysplasia; Adult; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia; Cervix Neoplasms; Cervix Uteri; Electrodes; Electrosurgery; Female; Human; Specimen Handling
Type
journal article