Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology
Volume 2 (1994), Issue 4, Pages 167-170
doi:10.1155/S1064744994000591
Clinical Study

Human Papillomavirus DNA in LEEP Plume

Anil K. Sood,1 Zahra Bahrani-Mostafavi,2 Jay Stoerker,2 and I. Keith Stone1

1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Florida College of Medicine, P.O. Box 100294, Gainesville 32610-0294, FL, USA
2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC, USA

Received 22 June 1994; Accepted 9 September 1994

Copyright © 1994 Hindawi Publishing Corporation. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Objective: This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) plumes.

Methods: Forty-nine consecutive patients with colposcopic and cytologic evidence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) were tested. Smoke plumes were collected through a filter placed in the suction tubing. DNA was harvested by proteinase K digest of the filters and prepared for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) by L1 consensus primers.

Results: Thirty-nine (80%) tissue samples were positive for HPV, with types 6/11 in 4, 16/18 in 19, 31/33/35 in 2, and other types in 6 patients. The tissue sample was inadequate for typing in 8 patients. HPV DNA was detected in 18 (37%) filters.

Conclusions: Although the consequences of HPV in LEEP plume are unknown, it would be prudent to adopt stringent control procedures.