A medical examination procedure in which a doctor uses a colposcope to look closely at the vagina and cervix, often to investigate abnormal Pap smear results or check for precancerous changes.
From Greek 'kolpos' (vagina) + 'skopein' (to examine). This diagnostic procedure became standardized in the mid-20th century as a critical tool for cervical cancer prevention.
Colposcopy is preventive medicine at its best—it catches cervical cancer before it starts by identifying precancerous changes, and combined with HPV vaccines, it's one of modern medicine's greatest public health victories.
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