title: Is Cryotherapy Friend or Foe for Symptomatic Cervical Ectopy?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the success rates and clinical outcomes of cervical cryotherapy applied to cervical ectopy for symptomatic relief.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 124 women who underwent cryotherapy for symptomatic treatment of cervical ectopy were included in this study. Indications for treatment were: abundant leucorrhoea (n = 114), post-coital bleeding (n = 22), recurrent cervicitis (n = 30) and pelvic pain (n = 12). Cryotherapy consisted of the use of carbon dioxide at -89°C to destroy the ectopic columnar epithelium by freezing, and it was transmitted to the ectopy through a flat cryoprobe. No routine anaesthesia or analgesia was administered. All patients were questioned about the status of their symptoms after 6 weeks of treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The highest success rate was obtained in patients with abundant leucorrhoea (n = 102; 89.5%), while the lowest success rate was achieved in subjects with pelvic pain (n = 7; 58%). After treatment, no severe complications were observed, except for hydrorrhoea for a few days. Success rates were 9 times lower in patients who had 3 or more cervicitis episodes per 6 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, the success rate of cryotherapy was highest in patients with abundant leucorrhoea and lowest in patients with pelvic pain and recurrent cervicitis. Hence, we recommend that clinicians perform the procedure in such patients without much delay.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Umraniye Medical and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yasemin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Çekmez
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Şanlıkan
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Göçmen
authors.forename: Aylin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vural
authors.forename: Simge Bağcı
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Türkmen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003075:Coitus; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017679:Cryotherapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007973:Leukorrhea / Q000628:therapy*; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D012008:Recurrence; D002575:Uterine Cervicitis / Q000628:therapy*; D014592:Uterine Hemorrhage / Q000628:therapy*