Perioperative Complications of an Outpatient Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure: A Review of 857 Consecutive Cases

This study was conducted to evaluate the incidence and predictor of perioperative complications of the loopelectrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) in an outpatient setting at Chiang Mai University Hospital betweenOctober 2004 and December 2008. During this time period, 857 women were reviewed. Mean age was 45.1 years(range, 20-78 years). One-fourth of the women were postmenopausal. Eighty-one (9.5%) women were HIVpositive. Perioperative complications were as follows: intraoperative bleeding, 29 (3.4%); early postoperativebleeding, 5 (0.6%); late postoperative bleeding, 42 (4.9%); and infection 37 (4.3%). The size of LEEP specimenswas noted to be a significant predictor. Women who had a large LEEP specimen excised (defined as 20 mm ormore) were 2.09 (95% Confidence Interval, 1.39-3.14) times more likely to have perioperative complications. Inconclusion, outpatient LEEP is safe and has an acceptable perioperative complication rate, although large sizecarries greater risk.