Healing of the Cervix After Laser Treatment

Abstract

Postlaser cervical healing was studied colposcopically and histologically in 20 women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), using a new histologie healing score of 10 for complete epithelial and stromal healing. Two points each were given to epithelial continuity, epithelial maturity, stromal congestion, stromal inflammatory reaction, and stromal collagenization. Two weeks postlaser, there was no sloughing, and the lasered area looked reddish, with a dense meshwork of fine capillaries with deeper spiderlike vessels covered by thin epithelium that bled easily on touch. The healing score was 0 to 5, and healing occurred mainly in epithelial continuity and was much less in epithelial maturity and stromal healing. Six weeks postlaser, colposcopically, all cervices looked healed and normal, with squamocolumnar junctions outside the external os having no cervical stenosis and no residual CIN. The healing score was 8 to 9. Although epithelial healing was complete, stromal healing was not complete.