Colposcopy plays a key role as a bridge in the “three-step” procedure for early diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer, i.e. cytology-colposcopy-histological diagnosis. It is still the “gold standard” for the diagnosis of cervical cancer and precancerous lesions.
The colposcope was invented in 1925 and has been continuously improved from a hand-held magnifying glass to the current clinically used photoelectric all-in-one colposcope. Since colposcopy can magnify the vulva, vagina and cervix 10-40 times, it can detect small lesions invisible to the naked eye, localize and biopsy them, reduce the chance of false negatives and missed diagnoses in cytology, effectively increase the detection rate of positive lesions, and assist clinicians in early detection of precancerous lesions or early cancers in the lower genital tract, so colposcopy is gaining more and more attention from gynecologic oncologists and pathologists. Therefore, colposcopy is gaining more and more attention from gynecologic oncologists and pathologists. With the help of colposcopy technology, precancerous lesions or early cancers in the lower genital tract can be detected in a timely manner, thus providing an accurate and objective basis for early detection, diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumors in the lower genital tract, improving the survival rate of patients and reducing the incidence of late malignant tumors in the lower genital tract, especially cervical cancer in the middle and late stages.
I. Who needs colposcopy?
1. abnormal clinical signs and symptoms: contact bleeding, abnormal vaginal discharge, cervicitis that has not been cured for a long time.
2, clinical examination reveals suspicious lesions or new organisms in the vulva, vagina or cervix that need to be clarified in nature.
3. abnormal cytological examination: repeated Pap smear grade II or above, or TBS suggestive of LSIL or above.
4. Positive high-risk HPV-DNA with concurrent cytology suggestive of ASCUS.
5, benign lesions of the vulva, vagina and cervix who need to exclude infiltrative lesions prior to treatment.
6, Determining the extent of lesions before cervical conization.
7, Pre-operative understanding of the extent of lesions and vaginal involvement in early cervical cancer.
8.Following up the dynamic changes of lesions in the lower genital tract and assessment of the efficacy.
9.For those who request colposcopy during health examination of the lower genital tract.
Contraindications of colposcopy
There is no absolute contraindication to colposcopy. Contraindications to colposcopy-guided biopsy are
1, acute phase of inflammation of the lower genital tract and pelvis.
2, active bleeding from the lower genital tract.
3. other pathological states that are not suitable for biopsy, such as: trauma repair process, severe coagulation dysfunction, etc.
Time selection of colposcopy
1.Usually performed after menstrual cleansing.
2.To understand the lesions in the cervical canal, it is advisable to perform it in the periovulatory period.
3.Suspected cancer or precancerous lesions should be examined as early as possible.
Preparation before colposcopy
1. routine examination of the white belt and cervical cytology.
2.No sexual intercourse or vaginal medication should be used within 3 days before the examination.
3. Gynecological examination, vaginal douching and drug application or cytological sampling should not be performed within 24 hours before the examination.