“Look and Lletz”: A Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital Experience

Abstract

Abstract:
Objectives: An audit of a ‘colposcopy and treatment’ clinic between April 2003 and December 2006, to determine:
• The frequency of overtreatment with Papanicolaou(PAP) smear on its own, colposcopy on its own or a combination of the two methods.
• Differences in overtreatment between the patients who are HIV positive and those who are HIV negative,
• The short term complications of Lletz at this clinic.
Design: An analysis of the data from the colposcopy clinic database of patients, who were referred according to National Guidelines.
Setting: Patients who are referred to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
Results: Normal histology, was found in 1.3% of patients, and CIN 1 or HPV in 8.4%. The overall complication rate was 3%.
Conclusion: The high loss to follow-up and the low early complication rate together with an acceptable overtreatment rate make this a justifiable approach in our situation. HIV negative women were more likely to be overtreated than HIV positive patients(p=0.03).