D and C (dilatation and curettage) is a procedure in which the
vaginal canal is gently held open with a speculum, and the cervix
is dilated (widened) with a metal rod. A curette is then passed
through the cervical canal into the uterine cavity where
endometrial tissue is scraped away and collected for examination.
Review Date: 12/23/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief; Associate Professor of Medicine,
Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
