Diagnostic vacuum aspiration curettage and biopsy without anaesthesia in general practice

A questionnaire study was made of the pain and discomfort from vacuum aspiration (vabra) of the cervix/uterus without anaesthetic treatment, and the desire of medication/hospitalization in case of a repeated operation. Forty-eight women described a medium pain (4.1 on a scale from 0-9), and a medium discomfort (3.5 on a similar scale). Forty-six women were content to have had the operation carried out by their general practitioner, and 44 women declared that they would prefer to have the operation carried out by their general practitioner if it had to be repeated. The women did not express a desire for hospitalization or anaesthesia. The results indicate that examinations carried out by a general practitioner, who is well known to the patient, cause less strain than examinations carried out elsewhere, and that vacuum aspiration is more gentle to the body than conventional curettage.