A new approach to prevent cervical stenosis in postmenopausal women after loop electrosurgical excision procedure: a randomized controlled trial

To determine whether regular cervical dilatation is effective for preventing cervical stenosis, and to identify the associated risk factors, in postmenopausal women after LEEP. This was a prospective randomized clinical trial in postmenopausal women who underwent LEEP at our hospital between August 2018 and May 2019. Patients who met the study criteria were randomly allocated to three groups: control group (without any intervention), intervention group A (underwent cervical dilatation at the 3(rd), 5(th), and 8(th) week after LEEP) and intervention group B (underwent cervical dilatation at the 4(th), 8(th), and 12(th) week after LEEP). A colposcopic follow-up examination was conducted at 6 months after LEEP to determine the incidence of cervical stenosis. A total of 404 postmenopausal women were found to be finally eligible for the study. The rate of cervical stenosis in the control group was significantly higher than that in the intervention group, and the rate in group A was significantly lower than that in group B. We found regular dilatation after LEEP in postmenopausal women can prevent cervical stenosis. Further, the 3rd, 5th, and 8th weeks after LEEP are optimal time points. Finally, LEEP frequency and resection depth are significant risk factors and can be used to screen postmenopausal women at risk for cervical stenosis after LEEP.