Cervical ectopia

Ectopia (syn. pseudo-erosion, glandular erosion, endocervicosis) is a section of the vaginal part of the cervix covered with a single-layer columnar epithelium.

Macroscopically, ectopia has a bright red color and a granular surface; the shape and size of ectopia varies depending on the severity of the pathological process.

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Epidemiology

The prevalence of cervical ectopy in women of reproductive age ranges from 14 to 37%.

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Causes cervical ectopia

Cervical ectopia may have various etiologies and manifest itself in several morphological forms. In most cases, this is a normal physiological process.

Posttraumatic ectopia occurs after complicated childbirth or abortions; congenital or physiological ectopia is associated with physiological features of the localization of the junction (border) between the flat and columnar epithelium in newborns, girls and young women - outside the external os. At an older age, ectopia is a consequence of hormonal disorders.

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Symptoms cervical ectopia

This pathology is accompanied by abnormal and/or profuse vaginal discharge and minor bleeding.

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Forms

By etiological signs	By morphological structure
Congenital	Simple
Dishormonal	Proliferating
Post-traumatic	Epidermizing

The simple form of ectopia is characterized by the absence of signs of increased proliferation in the cells of the columnar epithelium; for proliferating forms of endocervicosis, neoplasm of glandular structures is typical, which indicates the progression of the pathological process; epidermizing (healing) ectopia is distinguished by the appearance of islands of multilayered squamous epithelium in the area of the columnar epithelium.

Epidermization of ectopia is carried out:

1. squamous cell metaplasia of reserve cells;
2. directly growing from the edges of the stratified squamous epithelium.

As a rule, the replacement of a single-layer cylindrical epithelium with a flat multilayered one is benign. However, with long-term epidermization processes under the influence of unfavorable factors, atypical changes in the metaplastic flat epithelium can form up to the development of cervical cancer.

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Treatment cervical ectopia

Cervical ectropion is treated using various methods:

• Electrocoagulation.
• Cryodestruction.
• Microwave coagulation.
• Laser cauterization.