SIGNIFICANCE OF CONE BIOPSY MARGINS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CERVICAL NEOPLASIA

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 29  (3) , 179-184
Abstract
Too many patients in the USA undergo hysterectomy for cervical neoplasia following cone biopsy because too many gynecologists choose not to pay attention to the pathology present at the margins of the cone specimen. In view of the need to improve the management of cervical neoplasia, i.e., to reduce the number of needless hysterectomies-a retrospective study was done to verify the trend in an institution and to evaluate the utilization of cone biopsy to determine the extent of the process. The methods used for procuring the cone sample and for interpreting the results of the biopsy were studied. Patients (345) underwent a cone biopsy; subsequently, 102 of them had a hysterectomy. Based on the evaluation of the cases in this study, information was obtained about the performance of cone biopsy and the guidelines for determining when a hysterectomy should be performed and when other, less drastic means of eradicating the neoplasia should be considered.