Prevalence and factors associated with inadequate margin of conization specimens at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital

Abstract

Objective To study the prevalence of inadequate margin of cold knife conization specimens at
King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.
Study design Descriptive study.
Setting Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, King Chulalongkorn
Memorial Hospital.
Subjects Sixty-five patients who had been treated with cold knife conization between June 1,
1999 and May 31, 2001.
Method The prospective data collection of patients on age, menopausal status, parity, body
mass index, histology of colposcopic directed biopsies and conization specimens, surgeon and
adequacy of cold knife conization margin were analysed.
Main outcome measures Percentage of inadequate margin of conization specimens.
Results In 65 patients treated with cold knife conization, twenty-seven (41.5%) exhibited
inadequate surgical margins. Median age of the patients was 38 years (range 22-74). Eight (80
%) nulliparous patients displayed surgically inadequate margins, whereas nineteen (39.6%)
multiparous patients displayed surgically inadequate margins. Nulliparity was the only factor
associated with inadequate margins (p<0.05); while the other studied factors were not.
Conclusion The prevalence of inadequate cold knife conization margin in this study population
was 41.5 %. Nulliparity was the only factor associated with inadequate margin of conization
specimens.