If you have an abnormal pap smear, what does a 'CoPo' mean?


Question:
my friend just got back from her 'annual' gynecological visit and they told her today that her pap smear showed 'abnormal cells.' They scheduled her for another visit to do a 'CoPo'. What is this? Is this a bad sign? She tried to call back her office today and they were closed- she hasn't a clue as to what this all means!

Answers:
She is going to have a colposcopy. Her doctor will simply look at her cervix under a microscope which is called a colposcope and clean her cervix with a vingar solution and look for the abnormal cells. If and when the cells are seen, the doctor will take very thin biopsies of the cervix and send them to the pathologist to find out what these abnormal cells are. The doctor will normally take 3-4 biopsies and tell her she may feel some discomfort but it will not be painful at all. Also, not to worry at this time. These test are routine and are performed everyday and sometimes they turn out to be nothing at all. This is not a bad sign at all. If she has any questions, tell her to call her doctor's office on Monday to ask them directly.

Other Answers:
she'll be fine

It's actually a copolostomy. (spelling?) they cut a part of her cervix out for a biopsy and examine her cervix with a microscope. A colposcopy or colcoscopy is a diagnostic procedure in which a colposcope is utilized to examine an illuminated, magnified view of the cervix, the tissue of the vagina, and vulva. Many premalignant lesions and malignant lesions in these areas have discernible characteristics which can be detected with a thorough colposcopic examination. The enlarged view provided by the colposcope allows the colposcopist to visually distinguish normal from abnormal appearing tissue and take directed biopsies for further pathological examination. The prevention of cervical cancer through the early detection and treatment of precancerous lesions is the principal goal of colposcopy.




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