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Cervical biopsies typically are associated with pain and discomfort. Investigators in Vienna, Austria, conducted a randomized trial to assess two strategies for pain relief in 68 women (mean age, 34) who underwent cervical punch biopsies for evaluation of abnormal Pap smears. One group received local anesthesia (injection of 1% lidocaine, 0.5 mL), and the other group was instructed to cough at the precise time of the biopsy. Patients reported pain associated with speculum insertion, anesthesia injection, biopsy, and the entire procedure.
On a 10-cm visual analog scale, median ratings for biopsy pain were 1.5 cm in the lidocaine group and 1.9 cm in the coughing group. Median pain scores associated with biopsies were not significantly differen…