Conization of the cervix

Cervical conization refers to surgical techniques that help a woman in the treatment of the reproductive system.

The procedure is carried out only in a hospital. But the degree of surgical intervention, as well as the specific technique, depends on the current state of the woman and the degree of pathological change.

Usually, surgery is a logical solution for detected dysplasia at different stages of the course of the disease, as well as for erosion of the mucous membrane surface. Even if an oncological neoplasm is suspected, such a manipulation is sometimes prescribed.

Despite the fact that the benefits of the intervention are obvious, there is a rather high risk of some complications in the form of discomfort. Also, the operation has a number of contraindications, which for the most part affect infection with sexually transmitted diseases. But some of the prohibitions are classified as relative, which means that they can be bypassed if the source of the contraindication is successfully treated.

We are talking about pre-treatment with drugs individually selected by the doctor, which necessarily include antibiotics. Only then will it be possible to successfully complete the plan.

Features of conization

Many potential patients are interested in the question of how effective the approach is. They are looking for those who have already had conization. You can read various reviews in thematic communities. The appropriate forum will help with this.

But doctors recommend that it is better to listen to an experienced attending physician than to advice on the Internet. If necessary, it would be more efficient to seek a confirmatory consultation not at a state antenatal clinic, but to make an appointment at a private clinic with a gynecologist with an impeccable reputation.

Usually the price of an examination there is higher than in a regular clinic, but many girls are ready for such obstacles, deciding to trust a doctor with many years of experience. For reference, the cost can be clarified in different city clinics in order to choose the best option.

It will vary depending on the specific method of conization. Also, not all clinics can boast of having a special laboratory that establishes the absence of oncological cells at the preliminary stage of preparation. It is likely that a woman will have a positive result on a cancer test, which will lead to the need to do a biopsy with all the ensuing consequences. Then the treatment will completely change its course.

If suddenly during the examination it turns out that the patient has cervical cancer, then she is given a radical removal of the entire organ. This approach is aimed at completely blocking the spread of the lesion with metastases to the surrounding organs and tissues.

But usually, preparation methods only confirm the presence of classic dysplasia. This means that the victim is dominated by atypical cells in the epithelial layer. To protect the internal organs from extensive damage, it would be more productive to remove the damaged area in the initial phase. The body itself remains in place, continuing to fulfill its direct duties. If a little was excised at all, then the woman will quite calmly endure pregnancy in the future. Even childbirth can be natural, because a significant affected area is not always removed.

This does not interfere even with the fact that as a prophylaxis for dysplasia, it becomes necessary to excise about five millimeters of healthy flesh along the way. Although such reinsurance increases the size of the wound surface, it eliminates the risks of a possible relapse.

Standard classification

Initially, the procedure was performed in only one way – with the involvement of a scalpel. But over time, specialists were able to improve the classic options in order to eliminate the risks of increased trauma, as well as reduce the postoperative period.

The modern classification of conization covers several variations:

• knife;
• laser;
• loop;
• radio wave.

Despite significant differences in which specific tools are involved, how the manipulation takes place remains practically unchanged.

The traditional procedure is the knife version, which involves the use of a scalpel. The disadvantage of this approach is the high risk of injury, as well as pain at the end of the intervention. Because of this, current gynecology prefers to bypass the use of a knife to correct pathology.

You can’t do without pain relief, and most experts insist that only general anesthesia will be relevant here, which additionally negatively affects the functionality of the cardiovascular system.

The average recovery period when using a scalpel is quite long, supplemented by significant complications. Among them, profuse bleeding, high risks of infection, scar formation, which interferes with natural childbirth in the future, are distinguished.

The laser alternative is a more gentle and innovative way. Due to high-precision technology, it is possible to achieve accurate removal of altered epithelial layers. Efficiency is explained by the ability to change the depth of exposure and the diameter of the excised area.

The cervical canal deserves special attention, which should be processed as accurately as possible in order to reduce the risk of possible postoperative complications. Minor bleeding in the first time after the completion of the procedure is quite a common occurrence. Also, the norm immediately after surgery with the involvement of a laser are:

• feeling of discomfort;
• pulling pains.

After the healing has been successfully completed, the functionality of the uterine cervix is ​​preserved, which increases the possibility of bearing a fetus by several times. The only relative disadvantage is the high cost.

A little less often, preference is given to the loop technique, which is based on a special electrode loop. An alternating current passes through it, which allows you to get rid of a cyst, a polyp in a matter of seconds, and also help in conization if you suspect the presence of atypical cells.

Healing with a loop measure occurs soon enough, since a woman practically does not suffer from pain manifestations and bleeding, which aggravate the process of restoring health. Biological material that has been captured by the loop for further laboratory testing is almost entirely unharmed.

But in recent years, the radio wave alternative has become especially in demand, as it has been called the most traumatic. The basis here is taken as a simple coagulation of infected tissue by influencing the problem area of ​​high-frequency waves.

Due to the fact that soft tissues lose a greater percentage of sensitivity due to the death of nerve endings, the patient will not experience any pain. But the main advantage of the approach involves the preservation of childbearing function at the original level. The consequences are almost completely absent.

The day of the operation is scheduled for the date when the period has already ended. This helps the gynecologist to play it safe, prolonging the recovery period of the wound surface. Also, the appointment the next day after menstruation eliminates the risks of unplanned pregnancy.

Measures for a speedy return to normal life

Having dealt with how the classification features of conization look like, and having chosen the best option for themselves, women begin to prepare for recovery. If there was a radio wave treatment or electrocoagulation, then the girl is sent home on the same day. It is enough just to spend the first few hours under the supervision of medical personnel. This applies even to those situations where histology is provided.

But if the victim has dizziness, a strong pain syndrome, then the discharge should be delayed. But with a commitment to innovative approaches, all negative side effects can be avoided, because during coagulation, even bleeding is an order of magnitude less.

If everything went well, then it remains only to attend preventive examinations. They allow you to determine whether a scab or other possible side effects have appeared, which in the future may adversely affect the ability to conceive.

Experts note that no one can announce the exact period allotted for the final recovery. This is explained by the fact that each patient’s body is individual. For the same reason, a woman will not be able to issue a regular sick leave, because it is believed that, apart from temporary inconvenience, she should not experience anything else.

It is worth preparing for the fact that sometimes healing lasts more than a month. This is caused by poor immune forces, as well as the severity of the neglect of the initial condition, for example, if grade 3 dysplasia was diagnosed.

The easiest way with the load is for young victims, since their cellular regeneration occurs an order of magnitude faster than in older women. But even here exceptions are possible in the form of concomitant diseases, inflammatory processes. You will have to come to terms with the heaviness in the lower abdomen, pain, discomfort in the perineum.

To speed up the process, just follow a few simple recommendations for about a month:

• give up a hot bath, bath or steam room;
• refuse to swim in open water, pool;
• follow the rules of personal hygiene;
• stop drinking alcohol and smoking;
• in agreement with the doctor, stop taking medications aimed at thinning the blood;
• use pads instead of tampons;
• postpone the use of tampons;
• do not use vaginal suppositories;
• do not douche;
• limit physical activity;
• stop lifting weights.

Sex was also banned in the first two months after the procedure, which is necessary for the successful healing of soft tissues without the risk of deep scarring.

Additional helpers are medications that are prescribed for the entire course of postoperative treatment. These can be pharmacological agents of antibacterial and restorative action. The dosage, as well as instructions for taking, should be prescribed by the doctor himself based on the results of intermediate tests.

The final stage of the control check is colposcopy and cytology approximately four months after the procedure.

When to see a doctor

Even innovative techniques do not always allow surgical intervention to be absolutely successful. Some women may be pursued by lengthy recovery programs. They are characteristic of those who, in the first days after conization of the cervix, encountered a number of characteristic symptoms.

The main list of deviations covers:

• spotting, which departs profusely and does not stop for a long time;
• infection of organs related to the genitourinary system;
• narrowing of the external pharynx of the cervical canal;
• scarring on the wall of the cervical region;
• risk of preterm birth.

If you find such alarming calls in yourself, you should immediately seek qualified help. It is especially important to make an appointment on time if severe pain does not go away for a whole week, and the level of bleeding does not subside.

Additionally, the victim may be pursued by a significant increase in body temperature, followed by loss of appetite. Also, patients complain of weakness with dizziness, which cannot be explained by other diseases.

The primary sources of these problems can be many factors, including an unprofessional intervention, surgical errors, or the fault of the patient herself. Not all girls, for various reasons, are ready to adhere to all medical recommendations for the specified periods.

Another difficulty is the fact that after conization, the neck is significantly shortened, changing its original anatomical structure. Because of this, the barrier function of the reproductive organ collapses, which literally “opens the gate” for the penetration of viruses, pathogens into the internal environment.

The wider the operating field, the greater the chances of possible inflammation. Usually, in the most serious cases, the surgeon decides on a second operation in order to eliminate the source of the pathological process, along with all the consequences.

When bleeding is normal

Any manipulation that is closely related and the dissection of soft tissue and the subsequent violation of the integrity of small capillaries is always accompanied by bleeding, so this is normal. But not when the maximum allowable rate of incoming blood exceeds the average value for such situations. If this did happen, then hemostatic therapy is indispensable.

You should be prepared for the fact that the protruding blood will still haunt the patient, even if everything went perfectly. With a good outcome, a woman will simply encounter moderate discharge, which will not cause any particular inconvenience. Even bleeding over the next twenty days still does not fall out of the clinical healthy picture.

But heavy bleeding, which later descends to spotting spots, is already a harbinger of the inflammatory process. The dirty brown color of the liquid coming from the vagina, an unpleasant smell will tell about the same. All this signals the active stage of infection of the tissues of the reproductive system.

Some young ladies are frightened by the fact that after the intervention, their menstrual cycle, which has been established over the years, is almost completely lost. This is quite an adequate reaction of the body. Moreover, it is assumed that the first few times menstruation will go stronger than usual. Then everything will return to its original position.

The most serious consequence of an incorrectly performed procedure is stenosis of the walls of the cervical canal. It occurs in approximately 2% of cases, completely blocking a woman’s ability to become a mother. Because of this, albeit a relatively meager chance, operations are not performed on girls who are going to become mothers without having children.

Another important post-discharge monitoring item should be discharge, which is part of the indicator of stable healing. There is no need to be afraid even of the fact that approximately a week after the date of manipulation, the amount of discharge will increase dramatically. This natural phenomenon is due to the fact that the scab is already ready to come out from the point of excision.

This happens especially often if the patient has given preference to radio wave technology. It was the scab that all this time protected the open wound surface from the possible ingress of harmful microbes.

After the scab has passed, the discharge will still remain, but in small quantities. On some days, they will not bother the victim, but make themselves felt periodically for another one and a half to two months. The established duration is within the boundaries of the absence of pathology, because the cell layer has to actively recover.