Cryoablation

Cervicitis, or inflammation of the cervix, is a common gynecological condition, as half of all women experience it at some point in their adult lives. These inflammations can be acute or chronic, asymptomatic or symptomatic.

What are the differences between them, what causes them, and how are they treated?

The term cervicitis refers to inflammation of the cervix, that is, the lower part of the uterus, which is located inside the vagina. This is a common gynecological condition, as half of all women will experience cervicitis at some point during their adult lives. These inflammations can be acute or chronic, asymptomatic (without symptoms) or symptomatic. The predominant symptom is foul-smelling, mucopurulent vaginal discharge.

Subjective symptoms may include itching and burning in the external genitalia and dyspareunia (pain during sexual intercourse). Sometimes there may also be lower abdominal pain (pain in the lower part of the abdomen) that may radiate to the back, in the lower back. Acute cervicitis can cause infertility, since cervical secretions in these cases are toxic to sperm. Cervicitis caused by gonococcus may be accompanied by urethritis and result in frequent urination or dysuria (painful urination).

Often, the endometrium is also affected along with the cervix, leading to miscarriage if pregnancy occurs. In cases of vaginal inflammation caused by gonococcus or chlamydia, this inflammation can spread to the cervix, the endometrium, and the fallopian tubes, resulting in acute inflammation of the fallopian tubes or even the peritoneum. In such cases, fertility can be significantly affected.

Various techniques are used to treat cervicitis, all of which aim to destroy the areas of the cervix responsible for the inflammation. The most common technique is cryotherapy of the cervix, in which cervicitis is treated by “freezing” the tissues.

Cryoablation (also called “cryosurgery” or “cryotherapy”) is a procedure that removes abnormal cells from the cervix. It is often performed in a doctor’s office and takes only a few minutes. During cryotherapy, the tissue containing the abnormal cells is frozen. This tissue is destroyed. In most cases, all abnormal cells are removed with a single treatment.