title: Cervical screening: management of patients referred for colposcopy with smear abnormalities less severe than dyskaryosis.
abstract: The cervical smear and biopsy results were reviewed for 141 patients who were referred for colposcopy with either a technically unsuitable smear or with cervical smear abnormalities less severe than dyskaryosis. The number of referrals due to minor smear abnormalities more than doubled from 8.6% to 22.3% of the total colposcopy referrals over the 4 year period studied. The minor smear abnormalities were only associated with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in patients aged < 50 years. In 19 (13.5%) of the 141 patients high-grade lesions (CIN II or CIN III) were diagnosed. There were no cases of invasive cancer. Furthermore, the increased number of patients being referred for colposcopy with minor cervical smear abnormalities highlights the increasing pressures on colposcopy services, with prolonged waiting times for all patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital, Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Usman
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hammond
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000473:pathology*; D003127:Colposcopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D027383:Papillomaviridae; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002575:Uterine Cervicitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*