Telecytology: diagnostic accuracy in cervical-vaginal smears.
Although cervical-vaginal telecytology is a promising tool, diagnostic accuracy has not been extensively evaluated. The authors examined the accuracy of five cytotechnologists who retrospectively reviewed 50 cervical-vaginal smears using the video monitor, and 2 months later, using the light microscope. Accuracy was expressed in terms of crude agreement with the original diagnosis and number of false positives (FPs) and false negatives (FNs). With a greater than one step difference as discrepant, the group crude agreement using the video monitor and the light microscope was 85.6% and 95.6%, respectively. The group number of FNs and FPs for the light microscope was 8 and 7, respectively, and for the video monitor was 34 and 7, respectively. There was a wide range of individual performance. We conclude that accuracy of telecytology is high, but less than that of light microscopy. The major reason for lower telecytologic accuracy was undercalling dysplasia.
Raab
S S
SS
Department of Pathology, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242-1009, USA.
Zaleski
M S
MS
Thomas
P A
PA
Niemann
T H
TH
Isacson
C
C
Jensen
C S
CS
D003581:Cytodiagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D019113:Telepathology / Q000379:methods*; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000379:methods*