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Genital Warts (Human Papillomavirus)
- Topic Overview
-
Health Tools
- Cause
- Symptoms
- What Happens
- What Increases Your Risk
- When To Call a Doctor
- Exams and Tests
- Treatment Overview
- Prevention
- Home Treatment
- Medications
- Surgery
- Other Treatment
- Other Places To Get Help
- Related Information
- References
- Credits
You may have surgery to remove genital warts if they are widespread and medicine or freezing (cryotherapy) fails to remove them.
If you have a high-risk type of HPV that causes an abnormal Pap test, your doctor may recommend certain types of surgery. For more information about surgical methods to treat abnormal cell changes, see the topic Abnormal Pap Test.
Surgery Choices
Surgical methods that may be used include:
- Cryotherapy (cryosurgery).
- Electrocautery.
- Surgical excision.
- Laser surgery.
- Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP).
Surgical treatment for pregnant women
Surgical choices for pregnant women with genital warts include electrocautery, surgical excision, loop electrosurgical excision (LEEP), and laser surgery.
What to Think About
The success of surgery is related to the number of warts present. The success rate is higher and additional treatments are less likely to be required when surgery is performed on fewer and smaller warts. But surgery is less likely to be needed for a few small areas of warts.
Surgery may be more expensive than some other treatment choices.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: June 28, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Sarah Anne Marshall, MD - Family Medicine Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH - Infectious Disease | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
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