The disc is attached to a device which can produce extreme cold, freezing the outermost cells of the cervix. This freezing destroys the dysplasia cells, allowing normal cells to heal back in their place. Cryotherapy can be performed in the doctor s office, takes about ten minutes, and is minimally uncomfortable. It does, however, result in a watery discharge from the vagina for approximately eight weeks following therapy. After the dysplasia cells have been vaporized by the laser, normal cells heal back in their place.
Laser therapy takes only a few minutes, is minimally uncomfortable, and has almost no side affects.
However, the laser is very expensive, and sometimes the procedure must be performed either in a hospital or an outpatient surgery center. Using this cutting wire loop, the area of dysplasia can be surgically excised, allowing normal tissue to heal back in its place. Excision using the wire loop does not produce any pain in the cervix, and the whole procedure is minimally uncomfortable. The wire loop is sometimes used to remove more tissue than is usually destroyed with cryotherapy or laser therapy. There is no one best therapy for dysplasia.