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Medical Author:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Treatments for cervical dysplasia fall into two general categories: 1) destruction (ablation) of the abnormal area, and 2) removal (resection). Both types of treatment are equally effective. Generally, destruction (ablation) procedures are used for milder dysplasia and removal (resection) is recommended for more severe dysplasia or cancer.

Destruction (ablation)

The destruction (ablation) procedures for treatment of cervical dysplasia include carbon dioxide laser photoablation and cryocautery. These treatments use a laser or freezing methods to remove the abnormal cells. The most common complications of ablation procedures are narrowing (stenosis) of the cervical opening and bleeding. Disadvantages of this treatment include that this procedure does not allow sampling of the abnormal area and is not satisfactory for treating cervical cancer. Clear vaginal discharge and spotting of blood can occur for a few weeks after these procedures.

Removal (resection)

The removal (resection) procedures are loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), cold knife conization, and hysterectomy.

• Loop electrosurgical excision procedure, also known as LEEP, is an inexpensive, simple procedure that uses a radio-frequency current to remove abnormal areas. With this and other removal procedures, an intact tissue sample for analysis can be obtained.
• A cone biopsy is the surgical removal of abnormal areas using conventional surgical tools. Vaginal discharge and spotting commonly occur after these procedures.
• Hysterectomy, or the surgical removal of the uterus, is used to treat almost all cases of invasive cervical cancer and may sometimes be used to treat severe dysplasia or dysplasia that recurs after any of the other treatment procedures.

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