Cone biopsy of the cervix: does surgical technique influence cytological follow-up?

A 10-year experience of cone biopsy of the cervix was reviewed to determine whether the surgical method used delayed the diagnosis of recurrent disease. Although there is a trend to selective ablation of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, cone biopsy is a necessary adjunct to the colposcopist and remains the technique used by many gynaecologists. Two surgical techniques were compared; 1) Sturmdorf sutures, where the denuded cervical stump was covered by squamous epithelium 2) Interrupted vertical sutures, where the cervical epithelium was not covered. There was a 15% incidence of recurrent disease which was related to the completeness of initial excision and the age of the patient. The surgical technique employed did not influence the future cytological follow-up nor delay the diagnosis of recurrent disease.