Cryosurgical treatment of CIN I-III. A long-term study

One hundred and seventeen patients (age range 18-40 mean 28 years), with ectocervically located intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), histologic grades I-III, were treated with cryosurgery during the period 1974-80. The initial cure rate was 93.2% overall, and 88.1% for CIN III. During long-term follow-up (7-12 years, mean 9.8) two failures occurred, one after 2.5 years, the other after 7 years, giving a long-term cure rate of 91.5% overall, and of 86.5% for CIN III. All patients but one were available to follow-up (i.e. a loss to follow-up rate of 0.8%). There were no significant early or late complications, nor any untoward effects with regard to pregnancy or fertility. Thus cryosurgical treatment of ectocervically located CIN gives good long-term results. Scrupulous selection of patients, consisting of a meticulous colposcopic investigation, histologic diagnosis based upon cervical biopsy and curettage, is important to avoid the hazards of invasive cancer.