The Process of Cervical Regeneration After Electrocauterization:Part 1. Histological and Colposcopic Study

summary A combined colposcopic and histological study was made of the early phase of the healing of therapeutic electrocautery burns to the cervix. Studies at days 2–3 after burning showed that there were no surviving cells down to a depth of 5 mm. At days 3–4 nerve axones and mononuclear cells appeared in the necrotic scaffold. At days 7–10 the appearances suggested that mononuclear cells commenced to differentiate into cells of the following morphological types: squamous cells producing a stratified squamous epithelium, columnar cells producing a mucin‐secreting epithelium, fibroblasts producing collagen, and plasma cells. The contribution of the marginal healthy squamous epithelium to the re‐epithelialising process was identifiable in the period studied and consisted of a very small peripheral margin. The early appearance of ribonucleoprotein‐loaded axones and their intimate association with the mononuclear cells is discussed.