Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN): management by a general (non-oncological) gynaecological unit

The purpose of this study is to assess how well Cervical Intraephithelial Neoplasia (CIN) was managed by a general gynaecological unit. Treatment consisted of laser ablation, conization (laser, knife, loop diathermy) and hysterectomy. Recurrence occurred in 8 (18.2%) out of 44 conizations and 2 (25.0%) out of 8 ablative procedures. While the cure rate after the first treatment was 81.1%, after subsequent treatment it became 96.2%. This study showed that it was possible for a general gynaecological unit to cure patients of their disease. The Pap smear tests were not very accurate--the sensitivity and specificity were 75.5% and 50.0% respectively while the positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 94.9% and 14.3% respectively. Similarly, colposcopically directed punch biopsy was also found to be misleading.