The Evaluation of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia with Microcolpohysteroscopy: A Preliminary Report

Microcolpohysteroscopy allows the observation of the cervix and endocervical canal at various magnifications, 1:1 to 1:150. More importantly, it has permitted an examination of a squamocolumnar junction that is located within the endocervical canal. Microcolpohysteroscopy permits the in vivo cytologic examination of the superficial epithelial cell layers after vital staining. In this preliminary report, the authors have compared standard colposcopy with a microcolpohysteroscopic technique in 41 patients with abnormal smears (Class II-IV). Contact microcolpohysteroscopy has enabled the authors to geographically map out an entire CIN lesion as well as correctly locate the epicenter of most lesions. In cases of unsatisfactory standard colposcopy, microcolpohysteroscopy enabled visualization of the squamocolumnar junction with the endocervical canal. This technique also correctly identified lesions with viral cytopathologic effects which correlated with histology in 11 of 16 cases. The results of this study suggest that microcolpohysteroscopy is a diagnostic tool which can precisely qualify and localize a CIN lesion as well as identify viral pathology.