Oz, M., Korkmaz, E., Cetinkaya, N., Bas, S., Ozdal, B., Meydanl, M.M., & Gungor, T. (2015). Comparison of topical lidocaine spray with placebo for pain relief in colposcopic procedures: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease, 19, 212–214.
To evaluate the effectiveness of topical lidocaine spray for pain relief during cervical punch biopsies and endocervical curettage (ECC)
Women with abnormal cervical cytology requiring colposcopy-directed cervical biopsy with or without ECC were randomly assigned to receive 10% lidocaine or normal saline spray to the ectocervix prior to colposcopy.
No significant difference in pain scores between groups was reported.
The use of sprayed local anesthetic prior to colposcopic punch biopsy did not reduce procedure-related pain.
The use of a topical anesthetic spray prior to colposcopic procedures as studied here did not demonstrate effectiveness in reducing postprocedure pain. Further research is needed to determine the best approaches to reduce or eliminate pain associated with this type of procedure.