Hi all! I am 22 and have had a colposcopy, two biopsies, and an ECC done following an abnormal pap. I have found these boards to be extremely helpful throughout this whole ordeal and now I have a couple questions. Both of the biopsies I had done showed only mild dysplasia, but the ECC showed moderate dysplasia. I have been scheduled for a LEEP and would like to know if more tissue is removed when dysplasia is found in the endocervical canal? I have also read in multiple studies online that ECC's have a high false positive rate. Is it worth it to ask for a second ECC to confirm the results before undergoing the LEEP? Thanks everyone!

Hi aerin, sorry to hear you are having to deal with this. I just wanted to comment on the "false positive rates" of ECC's. From what I have read, it is more an issue of a false positive can occur because it picks up the dysplasia from the surface if the ECC is not performed exactly in the canal. Meaning the sample is contaminated with cells that were on the surface, not necessarily in the canal in the first place. The degree of abnormality is sometimes hard to read as well, depending on the size of the sample.

I don't know about the amount of tissue that will be removed, that would be a great question to ask your doctor. obviously if they are finding moderate dysplasia (regardless of whether it is from the canal or the surface) then it is better to have treatment.

However, if you are uncomfortable with that route, then do discuss this with your doc and find out why she wants you to have the LEEP when you are not comfortable with what you have read about ECC's and their reliability.

Hope this helps a little.

Karen