Colposcopy: a closer look into its past, present and future

Colposcopy, first described by Hans Hinselmann in 1925, revolutionised the screening and treatment of premalignant conditions of the cervix. Although colposcopy became common in gynaecological practice across Europe, Southern America and Australia by the 1950s, its uptake in the AngloSaxon community was slow. This may have been partly because British gynaecologists ostracised the controversial Hinselmann for his wartime activities; however, the lack of instructive material at that time may have also contributed (Fusco et al. JPM 2008;2:1923). The first publication on colposcopy in BJOG was by AF Youssef (J Obstet Gynae Br Emp 1957;64:80114) who conducted an extensive study in Egypt, describing the equipment (Figure 1), results and value of colposcopy in the recognition of cervical pathology. It was only in the 1960s, more than 30 years after its invention, that colposcopy was practiced in the British Isles and shortly thereafter colposcopy became widely accepted as a diagnostic aid in cervical cancer screening programmes worldwide.