colposcopy

Colposcopy ( + skopos 'look at') is a medical diagnostic procedure to visually examine the cervix as well as the vagina and vulva using a colposcope.

Key facts

Medical intervention.Caption: In this diagram, the canal of the cervix (or endocervix) is circled at the base of the womb. The vaginal portion of the cervix projects free into the vagina. The transformation zone, at the opening of the cervix into the vagina, is the area where most abnormal cell changes occur
Medical intervention.MeshID: D003127
Medical intervention.Name: Colposcopy
Medical intervention.Image: Basic_Female_Reproductive_System_(English).svg

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

11,476 papers

Colposcopy.Nursing standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987) · 2000
Adjunctive colposcopy technologies for assessing suspected cervical abnormalities: systematic reviews and economic evaluation.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2018
Colposcopy.Cancer · 1976
Timing of Colposcopy and Risk of Cervical Cancer.Obstetrics and gynecology · 2023
Systematic Review of International Colposcopy Quality Improvement Guidelines.Journal of lower genital tract disease · 2017

via PubMed

~10 min read

Encyclopedic overview

7 sections

Contents

Indications
Procedure
Interpretation
Complications
Follow up
References
External links

Colposcopy ( + skopos 'look at') is a medical diagnostic procedure to visually examine the cervix as well as the vagina and vulva using a colposcope.

The main goal of colposcopy is to prevent cervical cancer by detecting and treating precancerous lesions early. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a common infection and the underlying cause for most cervical cancers. Smoking also makes developing cervical abnormalities more likely.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “colposcopy” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.