[Conservative treatment of grade 3 intra-epithelial cervical neoplasms. Comparative study of CO2 laser vaporization, laser conization and cold scalpel conization].

Carbon dioxide laser was used in 79% of the 141 conservative treatments carried out for grade 3 cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN III) between the years 1982 and 1986 (41% vaporized and 38% coned out by using the laser as against 21% that were treated by scalpel conisation. The mean age of the women treated in this way by the laser was low (28.5 years of age and 32.5 years as against 38.1). Their parity was also low (0.8 and 1.2 as against 2.2). The lesions were very often spread out on the ectocervix and sometimes going into the vagina (26 and 9% as against 26%) or associated with koilocytosis (65.5 and 47.2% as against 41.3%). In one out of two cases vaporisation of the lesion is contra-indicated and the three diagnostic methods that are used (an ecto and endocervical smear, colposcopy and multiple directed small biopsies) do not make it certain that there is no underlying invasion of the tissues. Vaporisation and conisation are easily carried out under colposcopic control and are associated with widespread lesions at the squamo-columnar junction. These treatments sometimes have to be repeated; then they give a cure rate of 92-96% as against 96%. They are more reliable than conventional surgery for widespread lesions and they do make it possible to keep to the morphology of the cervix and thus make it possible for the cervix that is treated to behave more physiologically. It is also much easier and more reliable in these cases to carry out follow-up for carcinoma. This follow-up should be carried out on two occasions. The triple diagnostic method should be carried out again at the third month (2 smears, colposcopy and colposcopically directed small biopsies). This makes it possible to diagnose and treat early the cases where there has been failure of the original treatment. Then ecto and endocervical smears should be repeated at 3-monthly intervals, then at 6-monthly intervals and finally annually to screen for recurrences of these neoplastic conditions, and for koilocytosis which sometimes repeat themselves in an extensive manner.