Diagnostic and therapeutic conization using loop radiothermal cautery.

A group of 173 patients with abnormal cervical cytology underwent diagnostic or therapeutic conization following colposcopic examination. The series includes 23 patients with cold knife conization in the hospital under general anesthesia, 12 patients with an outpatient KTP laser procedure under local anesthesia, 53 patients with an outpatient CO2 laser procedure under local anesthesia, 10 patients with hospital-based loop radiothermal cautery conization and 75 patients with loop radiothermal cautery conization in the office under local anesthesia. Loop radiothermal cautery conization was advantageous, with a shorter duration of surgery, lower cost, reduced operative bleeding, less of a need for pain-relieving medication and shorter duration of postoperative disability. Cold knife conization patients had the most intraoperative bleeding and the longest hospitalization. KTP laser conization produced specimens of inferior quality, resulting in the least satisfactory histologic diagnosis. Office-based loop radiothermal cautery conization may be preferable to other methods of conization in the diagnosis and management of squamous intraepithelial lesions.