Cervical conization refers to an excision of a cone-shaped portion of tissue from the mucous membrane of the cervix.
Conization is used for diagnostic purposes as part of a biopsy and for therapeutic purposes to remove pre-cancerous cells (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia) or early stage cervical cancer.
[1] Types include:[2][3] Cervical conization effectively reduces the risk of cancer developing or spreading but it causes an increased risk of premature birth in future pregnancies.
[2][3] The chances of cancer recurrence and premature birth depends on the type of conization.
Cold knife conization is associated with 7% chance of the cancer recurring and 16% chance of premature birth, laser conisation comes with 6% cancer recurrence and 13% premature birth, and loop excision comes with 10% recurrence and 11% premature birth.