background and objective: microscopic evaluation of cervicovaginal smears (pap smear) plays an essential role in detection of preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions of uterine cervix. a wide spectrum of changes is seen in pap smears. interpretation of intermediate changes which resulting in observation of so- called ascus is difficult. ascus is defined as a cellular change that is more marked tha...

background : the aim of this study was to describe the coverage for cervical cancer screening among the visitors of a food exhibition in brussels, belgium and to describe the factors that affect their participation in the screening programs. methods : the participants aged between 25 and 64 years were recruited during a food exhibition at the brussels exhibition centre from 6 until 21 october 2...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the impact of optical spectroscopy, a new approach for the detection of cervical dysplasia, on patient well-being and satisfaction. STUDY DESIGN Patient distress and satisfaction with optical spectroscopy compared with the Papanicolaou test and colposcopically directed biopsy were measured in a volunteer sample of 314 women with no histo...

BACKGROUND A woman's risk for cervical cancer has been used by physicians to guide the initiation and frequency of a Pap smear. The aim of this study was to determine family physicians' knowledge of risk factors for cervical cancer and perceived importance of risk in screening women. METHODS The self-administered questionnaire was mailed to 5000 randomly selected active members of the America...

PURPOSE Current medical training recommends obtaining cervical cytological specimens without the use of lubricating gel. The purpose of this study was to determine whether water-soluble lubricant gel affects cytologic outcomes in the screening Papanicolaou smear and patient comfort during vaginal speculum examination. METHODS The study was a randomized controlled trial performed at David Gran...

BACKGROUND We describe and evaluate efforts to improve the follow-up care of patients with abnormal Papanicolaou test results at an academic family practice center at Shadyside Hospital in Pittsburgh. METHODS From 1994 to 1996, 1796 patients received Papanicolaou testing; 147 (8 percent) of the smears had abnormal findings--16 percent had atypia, 83 percent had dysplasia, and 1 percent had ca...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the liquid-based ThinPrep Papanicolaou test. DESIGN: Prospective comparison of the ThinPrep test with the conventional Papanicolaou test. SETTING: Cervical smear specimens sent to a private practice, Hong Kong. PATIENTS: A total of 16,541 ThinPrep test specimens and 7258 conventional Papanicolaou smears from Hong Kong women who had been screened for cervical cancer betwee...