Dilation and curettage is a surgical procedure generally preformed after miscarriage or abortion to clear uterus lining. It is also used to diagnose certain uterus related disorders like uterus cancer, fibroids, polyps and hormonal imbalances.
Dilation is opening or widening of uterus to remove some part of it whereas curettage is scrapping of uterus to derive some samples of uterus tissues for purpose of examination. To undergo dilation and curettage procedure, women is first put under monitored anesthesia care (MAC). If local anesthesia is to be administered, patient has to fast for 8 hours. In case of general anesthesia, patient has to fast for 12 hours before the surgery commences.
Once the anesthesia shows its effects, dilation of cervix takes place. It is done with the help of Hegar dilators which are set of round metal rods with increasing diameter (from few millimeters to 26 millimeters) and having a conical tip. Once the cervix is expanded, doctor is able to to scrape some uterus lining samples by employing process of curettage. Curettage is a metal rod that has handle on one end and a sharp loop on the other end. This curettage is inserted into the uterus to obtain some tissue samples which are examined by doctors to ascertain miscarriage which might have happened unknowingly and to detect other uterus related abnormalities.
The samples also help in diagnosing of uterus cancer by checking the structure of uterus cells. Cancerous cells have abnormal structure and keep on multiplying in inappropriate proportion.
Dilation and curettage procedure is still preferred in many countries for missed and incomplete miscarriages. There might be certain minor risks associated with the procedure. Bleeding and vaginal discharge are common symptoms experienced post surgery. But, these symptoms fade out on their own. It might become a complication if these symptoms remain consistent for over a long period of time. Hence, it is important that the patient consults with doctor if these symptoms fail to fade away.