Evaluating the Benefits of Endocervical Curettage in Women Infected With HPV16/18
Objective
This study evaluates the effectiveness of endocervical curettage (ECC) in detecting additional high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions or worse (HSIL+) in women infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18, which may be missed by biopsy alone.
Methods
A retrospective cohort study analyzed the medical records of 4,811 women referred for colposcopy due to HPV16/18 infection from January 2019 to December 2023. Patients underwent both biopsy and ECC. Statistical comparisons of various clinical factors between HSIL+ and low-grade or normal lesions were performed using χ2 tests and logistic regression analyses, with stratified analysis to determine ECC's additional detection rate under different clinical conditions.
Results
Endocervical curettage detected an additional 6.46% of HSIL+ lesions missed by biopsy alone, with the highest rates in women with normal colposcopic impressions (23.1%), those aged 50 or older (12%), type 3 transformation zones (9.5%), and postmenopausal women (11.9%). In contrast, younger women under 30 and those with type 1 or 2 transformation zones had significantly lower detection rates (2.9%). Logistic regression indicated that older age, type 3 transformation zone, higher grade cytological results, and abnormal colposcopic impressions are significant risk factors for HSIL+ detection via ECC (p < .001).
Conclusions
Data from this study indicate that ECC would be beneficial for women over 30 with HPV16/18 infections, particularly those with type 3 transformation zones or normal colposcopy, as it enhances HSIL+ detection. However, it offers minimal benefit for younger women or those with type 1 or 2 transformation zones.