The LEEP (loop electrosurgical excision procedure) is usually recommended to be performed on women with abnormal pap smears that show that the cervix has developed precancerous conditions called CIN (cervical intraepithelial cancer).
The LEEP is a minor day surgical procedure that involves the removal of a piece of the cervix in which the abnormal precancerous cells are detected by using a heated electrical loop wire. Local anaesthetic is administered prior the procedure to prevent discomfort.
For patients who are very nervous or where the CIN has extensively affected the cervix, LEEP can also be performed under general anaesthesia.
LEEP is typically performed on women with persistent CIN I (unable to spontaneously resolve after more than 2 years), CIN II and even CIN III which effects only a very small area of the cervix.
