title: Glandular cells in vaginal smears from posthysterectomy patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the significance of nonatypical glandular cells in vaginal smears from patients who had undergone total hysterectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Vaginal smears with nonatypical glandular epithelium obtained from post-total hysterectomy patients were identified in our files over a 4.5-year period. The cytologic findings were correlated with the clinical data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Smears with nonatypical glandular epithelium from 15 post-total hysterectomy patients were identified, making this the largest series in the literature. The patients' mean age was 59 years. Most patients (73%) had a history of gynecologic malignancy, and 60% had received radiotherapy. All patients had a normal gynecologic examination when the vaginal smear was obtained. None of the patients developed recurrent or de novo vaginal adenocarcinoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of nonatypical glandular epithelial cells in smears from total hysterectomy patients is not indicative of adenocarcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Ponder
authors.forename: K O
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Easley
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Dávila
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018262:Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000473:pathology; D014626:Vaginal Smears