Colposcopy in microinvasive carcinoma of the cervix—an enigma of diagnosis

Abstract

Summary. Colposcopy and the complementary roles of cervical cytology and biopsy in the diagnosis of microinvasive carcinoma of the cervix were assessed in 26 patients. The cervical cytology indicated cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in 16 (62%) and invasive carcinoma in 10 (38%) patients. A correct colposcopic diagnosis of microinvasive carcinoma was made in only seven (30%) patients while 12 (46%) were diagnosed as having preinvasive carcinoma and four (15%) as having invasive carcinoma. Atypical vessels, characteristic of invasion, were found in less than a third of patients. Microinvasion, therefore, may not be evident on colposcopy alone. Multiple large biopsies under colposcopic guidance are useful with cone biopsy as a back‐up.