Outpatient procedures for cervical dysplasia: a 3 year review of laser vaporisation and LEEP

A 3 year retrospective review (1995 to 1997) of 127 patients with cervical dysplasia who underwent Laser Vaporisation of the cervix and LEEP at the Gynaecological Cancer Centre, KK Women's & Children's Hospital, Singapore, was undertaken. Amongst the patients in the Laser Vaporisation group, the mean age was 37.7 years (SD 8.8), the mean operating time was 14.8 minutes (SD 8.5), 63.6% were given prophylactic antibiotics and the mean follow up period was 15.3 months (SD 12.0), whilst in the LEEP group, mean age was 40.3 years (SD 8.4), mean operating time, 11.8 minutes (SD 4.9), prophylactic antibiotic rate, 53.8% and mean follow up period was 19.1 months (SD 9.3). Mild and moderate haemorrhage post procedure were the only complications encountered, 10.2% (5/49) in the Laser group and 3.8% (3/78) in the LEEP group. 98% (48/49) and 97.4% (76/78) of the Laser and LEEP groups, respectively, were free of disease on follow up. None of the 3 patients with persistent or recurrent disease were diagnosed as having invasive cancer. Overall, there were no significant differences in the patient characteristics, histopathology, operating times, follow up period, the use of prophylactic antibiotics, and complications in the 2 groups. The low complication rate, high disease-free rate and the relatively short operating time of Laser Vaporisation and LEEP in our study suggests that, indeed, both the procedures can be done safely and efficiently in the outpatient setting. However the discrepancy between the histology of colposcopically directed biopsy and that of LEEP specimens suggests that colposcopically directed biopsy may not be as accurate as one might believe, and further studies analysing the concordance between colposcopically directed biopsy and LEEP biopsy histologies are needed.