Cervical Dysplasia

Cervical dysplasia is a term meaning the presence of abnormal changes in the squamous cells of the cervix. Today, specialists may also use such terms as squamous intraepithelial lesion or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. This condition is estimated to be a precursor of cervical cancer since it may degenerate into malignancy. The progression from dysplasia to cancer may last several years, and it is possible to avoid the development of cancerous lesions with an adequate management of the patients.

There have been a lot of researches attempting to find out the causes of cervical dysplasia. It was shown that this disease can be associated with different diseases of genital organs, weakness of immune defenses, hormonal imbalance and other factors. The most frequent cause of dysplasia, especially of its advanced forms, is Human papillomavirus infection. It has been found out that women who have several sex partners, have begun the sexual activity at an early age and smoke are more likely to develop cervical dysplasia.

It may be difficult to reveal the presence of cervical dysplasia since this disease is frequently asymptomatic. The detection of cervical dysplasia is possible only during pelvic examination. An effective way to find cervical cell changes is Pap smear test, microscopic examination of cells collected from the cervix. Gynecologists recommend to have pelvic examination along with Pap smear yearly since it provides the possibility to detect cervical dysplasia at an early stage and to prevent the development of more advanced stages.

A more exact diagnosis of cervical dysplasia is provided by other tests, colposcopy and biopsy. Colposcopy is a diagnostic procedure to examine the cervix through a special magnifying device called a colposcope. Sometimes, the doctor may use special solutions to improve visualization of abnormal changes in the cervical tissue. Biopsy involves removing a sample of tissue for histological evaluation.

Specialists distinguish three stages of cervical dysplasia: mild, moderate and severe. If cervical lesions are mild or moderate the management of the patients is usually based on conservative approach. Severe cervical dysplasia often may require surgical treatment, including the removal of lesions or a part of the cervix.