Diagnostic value of performing endocervical curettage at the time of colposcopy procedure; a systematic review

Abstract

<strong>Introduction:</strong> The importance of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) as a precursor to invasive cervical cancer suggests a considerable need for accurate screening of the patients for the risk of these lesions. This systematic review aimed to study the diagnostic significance of endocervical curettage (ECC) at the time of colposcopy in the detection of CIN 2, 3, and preinvasive lesions.<br/><strong>Methods:</strong> PubMed was searched to obtain the relevant articles based on the following search term: (endocervical curettage OR ECC) AND colposcopy. The most relevant articles were included after studying the title, abstract, and full text of the obtained articles at initial search. Only English language articles published after 1992 with at least 500 patients were included in this study.<br/><strong>Result:</strong> Among 300 articles identified by the first search, only seven articles were in line with the purpose of this systematic review. Majority of the included studies were retrospective observational studies.<br/><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Performing ECC has higher sensitivity in women older than 40 years and those with unsatisfactory colposcopy results. However exact diagnostic usefulness of ECC at the time of colposcopy needs to be investigated in further studies.