The management of subclinical wart virus infection of the cervix in a genitourinary clinic.

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether cold coagulation to the cervix eliminates subclinical wart virus infection and to determine the effectiveness of treatment for CIN I and II, using cold coagulation, by genitourinary physicians.

DESIGN

Prospective study.

SETTING

Department of Genitourinary medicine in a large teaching hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

All patients who received cold coagulation to the cervix in a 1 year period, who had not had previous treatment.

RESULTS

261 patients were enrolled into this study; of these, 138 (53%) patients attended for repeat colposcopy and cytology at one year. Cure rates for lesions were 66% for initial wart virus infection, 80% for CIN I and 94% for CIN II and III. Four (5%) cases in whom repeat cytology was normal had CIN which would have been missed if repeat colposcopy had not been performed at one year.

CONCLUSIONS

Cold coagulation is inappropriate treatment for subclinical wart virus infection of the cervix but is useful for the management of patients with CIN. Repeat colposcopy following treatment to the cervix is not necessary if cervical cytology is normal.