Thermal artifacts and inter-gynecologist variation of laser cone biopsies of the cervix.

Objective: To evaluate the extent of thermal artifacts and the inter-gynecologist variation in CO 2 laser cone biopsies for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) using high power density. Methods: All 1180 histologic sections from 93 CO 2 laser cone biopsies performed by nine gynecologists were evaluated by morphometry. Power density of 19,700 W/cm 2 and spot size of 0.43 mm were used. The lengths of different epithelia, the distance from CIN to the excision margins, the thermal artifacts, and the extension of denudation were analyzed. Mean values and standard deviations were analyzed for all indices