title: "Litigation cells" in the Papanicolaou smear: extramural review of smears by "experts".
abstract: This paper presents a historical review of litigation involving false-negative Papanicolaou smears. The impact of the look back provision of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 and the media attention focused on false-negative Papanicolaou smears is discussed. The problem types of cervicovaginal smears, including the categories of atypical squamous and/or glandular cells of undetermined significance, are also described.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond 23219, USA.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Frable
mesh_terms: D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005104:Expert Testimony; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014626:Vaginal Smears