title: Cytologic differential diagnostic problems in ulcerative cervicitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To improve the detection rates in the determination of signs consistent with ulcerative cervicitis against signs of intraepithelial neoplasia, in PAP smears.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the frequency of establishing a diagnosis of a simple ulcerative cervicitis by histology in a cohort of 58 females with cervical cytology suggestive of intraepithelial neoplasia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was found a detection rate of 81.58% in the determination of ulcerative cervicitis by cytology and a rate of 100% in the determination of HPV-infection, CIN1, CIN2 and CIN3 respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between cytology and histology in the diagnosis of ultracerative cervicitis (p>0.5, chi-square).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is an overestimation of the cytological signs in the diagnosis of ulcerative cervicitis 18.42%). There is also an excellent agreement in the diagnosis of HPV-infection and CIN grades (100%) between cytology and histology, discordant with the literature (2.4%-71%).
authors.affiliation: Depatment of Cytology, Chania Hospital, Chania, Greece. cyto@chaniahospital.gr
authors.forename: Demetrio
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tamiolakis
authors.forename: Athanasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kotini
authors.forename: Nikoleta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koutlaki
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Galazios
authors.forename: Vasilios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Liberis
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Anastasiadis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003581:Cytodiagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D014456:Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D002575:Uterine Cervicitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000175:diagnosis