What is colposcopy?

  Colposcopy, in layman’s terms, is actually a magnifying glass that observes subtle changes in the epithelium and blood vessels on the surface of the lower genital tract by applying a solution of acetic acid and iodine to the tissue surface and uses this to determine the presence of lesions.  Thanks to the creation and clinical application of colposcopy, a large number of precancerous and early-stage cancers of the genital tract that were previously unrecognizable to the naked eye have been detected. It is one of the most important tools for early diagnosis and treatment of lesions in the lower genital tract. Colposcopic biopsy is a procedure in which a small amount of tissue is removed from a suspected lesion through colposcopic observation and used for pathological diagnosis to further clarify the disease.  However, colposcopy also has its limitations. For example, it is not possible to observe lesions in the cervical canal for intra-cervical cancer; because precancerous lesions can be multicentric lesions, the images have variations and some even have no surface abnormalities, and are affected by inflammation, bleeding and other factors, and are related to the experience of the examiner. Therefore, over- or under-diagnosis may occur, referring to the attention.