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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffDilation and curettage (D&C) is a procedure in which your doctor removes tissue from the inside of your uterus. Dilation and curettage is used to diagnose or treat various uterine conditions — such as heavy bleeding — or to clear the uterine lining after a miscarriage or abortion.
In a dilation and curettage, which is sometimes spelled “dilatation and curettage,” your doctor dilates, or expands, your cervix. Your cervix is the lower part of your uterus that separates your vagina and uterus. A surgical instrument called a curette is then inserted into your uterus to remove tissue. Curettes used in a dilation and curettage can be sharp or can use suction.
- Guido RS, et al. Dilation and curettage (D and C). http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 3, 2008.
- Sharp HT. Endometrial sampling/dilatation and curettage. In: Adams Hillard PJ, ed. 5-Minute Obstetrics and Gynecology Consult. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008. http://www.5minobgyn.com/pt/re/hillard/bookcontent.01337302-1st_Edition-4.htm;jsessionid=JH3LLTpmphX94DCXFVfGLXfnhsjS1Dz6WCLWLV2QLhH0kvhrJJHY!-26702612!181195628!8091!-1?index=1&database=books&results=1&count=10&searchid=2&nav=search&cursorname=S.sh.42.43&fieldname=compref&recordnum=1&xpath=/bookdb/01337302/1st_Edition/4/WO(244137)&endxpath=/bookdb/01337302/1st_Edition/4/WO(244182)#gohere. Accessed Nov. 25, 2008.
- D&C for uterine bleeding problems. American College of Surgeons. http://www.facs.org/public_info/operation/brochures/dncbleed.pdf. Accessed Nov. 20, 2008.
- Dilation and curettage. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp062.cfm. Accessed Nov. 20, 2008.
- Early pregnancy loss: Miscarriage and molar pregnancy. The American College of Ostetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp090.cfm. Accessed Nov. 24, 2008.
- Wieslander CK, et al. Therapeutic gynecologic procedures. In: DeCherney AH, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment Obstetrics & Gynecology. 10th ed. Columbus, Ohio: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2007. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=2391387. Accessed Nov. 25, 2008.
- Anesthesia and You. American Society of Anesthesiologists. http://www.asahq.org/patientEducation/anesandyou.htm. Accessed Nov. 28, 2008.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 5, 2008.
