IMR Press / CEOG / Volume 36 / Issue 1 / pii/1630635162585-714125024

Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology (CEOG) is published by IMR Press from Volume 47 Issue 1 (2020). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.

Original Research
Microcolposcopy in the diagnostic evaluation of abnormal cervical cytology: when and why to do it
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1 Department of Gynecological Sciences, Perinatology and Child Health
2 Cytopathology Unit, University of Rome “Sapienza”, 4G. Pascale National Cancer Institute, Naples
3 Histopathology Unit, University of Rome “Sapienza”, 4G. Pascale National Cancer Institute, Naples (Italy)
Clin. Exp. Obstet. Gynecol. 2009, 36(1), 26–30;
Published: 10 March 2009
Abstract

Microcolposcopy is an in vivo cytological examination of the uterine cervix allowing the localization of exoendocervical precancerous lesions. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic reliability of microcolposcopy by means of correlation with histology, colposcopy and Pap test results. For the study, 256 patients with abnormal Pap test results were selected and subjected to colposcopy and microcolposcopy with the aim of evaluating the presence of any intraepithelial lesions. One hundred and nine of these patients were subjected to a biopsy. Colposcopy, histology and cytology results were compared with those obtained by microcolposcopy. In low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) cytology cases, the percentage agreement on lesion grade between Pap test and microcolposcopy results was 74%, while in high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) cytology cases, it was equal to 80%. The comparison between colposcopy and microcolposcopy showed a level of agreement of 72% for lower grades and 68% for higher grades. Finally, histology was in agreement with microcolposcopy in 73% of cervical intraepithelial grade 1 neoplasia (CIN 1) cases and reached 71% for CIN 2-3. Microcolposcopy proved to be accurate with regard to the diagnosis of lesion grade, and showed to be definitive in patients where cytology was positive for HPV infection and colposcopy was not able to identify any lesions.
Keywords
Pap test
Abnormal cervical cytology
Colposcopy
Microcolposcopy
Squamous intraepithelial lesions
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