Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 2, 2026
Collection, Isolation, and Flow Cytometric Analysis of Human Endocervical Samples
Published on: July 6, 2014
Using history and colposcopy to select women for endocervical curettage. Results from 2,287 cases
L Stewart Massad1, Yvonne C Collins
1Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rush Medical College, Cook County Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, USA. lsmassad@ameritech.net
Objective:
To enhance the yield of endocervical curettage (ECC) by defining risks for abnormality.
Study Design:
Demographic and medical information collected at colposcopy and subsequent histology were reviewed retrospectively. Statistical analysis was by t and chi 2 tests.
Results:
Among 2,287 women undergoing ECC at colposcopy, in only 105 (5%) did positive ECC require excisional therapy that would not otherwise have been recommended. Women with positive ECC were older (mean, 39.0 vs. 33.2 years; P < .001) and of higher parity (mean, 3.0 vs. 2.0 births; P < .001), with earlier first intercourse (at 16.6 vs. 17.2 years, P = .006), more unsatisfactory colposcopy (148 [27%] of 545 women with unsatisfactory colposcopy vs. 183 [12%] of 1,523 women with satisfactory colposcopy; P < .001) and more colposcopic impressions of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2-3 (163 [51%] of 323 vs. 443 [25.6%] of 1,730 women with low grade or a negative impression; P < .001). The likelihood of missed CIN 2-3 was 0.4%, with no missed cancers among women with satisfactory colposcopy and either a normal colposcopic impression (1/254) or nulliparity (2/474).
Conclusion:
ECC identifies otherwise-undetected preinvasive and invasive lesions but may be avoided in women with satisfactory colposcopy who are nulliparous or have no colposcopic lesions.
