HPV16 persistent infection and recurrent disease after LEEP

Abstract Background About 23% of patients develop CIN2+ after LEEP treatment due to residual or recurrent lesions. The majority of patients with HPV infection were HPV negative before treatment, but 16,4% were still HPV 16 positive after treatment, indicating that conization do not necessarily clear HPV infection rapidly. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the possible correlation existing between the appearance of recurring high-grade lesions and the viral genotype 16, and other risk factors such as residual disease. Methods One hundred eighty-two HPV positive patients underwent LEEP for CIN2+. The follow-up post treatment was carried out every 6 months. Abnormal results during follow-up were confirmed histologically and considered recurrent high-grade intraepithelial cervical lesions (CIN2/CIN3 or CIS). Statistical analysis was performed by using the SPSS software package for Windows (version 15.0, SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). Descriptive statistics are expressed as frequency, arithmetic mean, standard deviation (S.D.) and percentages. We calculated significance (P