title: Collagen balls in cervica-vaginal smears.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To dewribe the recent detection of collagen balls in cervical-vaginal specimens from 7 women within the previous 2 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Papaniolaou-stained cervical-vaginal specimens, 3 conventional and 4 ThinPreps (Cytyc Corp., Boxborgugh, Massachusetts, U.S.A.), were reviewed due to the presence of structures indistinguishable from collagen balls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The structures displayed 3-dimensionality, a hyalinized core and a covering of benign-appearing cells,fratures identical to those seen in collagen balls from serous cavity fluids. Averaging 94 x 60 microm, they were similar in size to a human oocyte at ovulation. Their presence did not correlate with any concurrent Pap smear findings or previous medical history.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Since collagen balls have previously been reported to occur only in serous cavity fluids, they are thought to arise at those locations. We propose that collagen balls are transported via the fallopian tube and uterine fundus to the cervix, much in the same way that an ovum is transported to the uterine flindus for implantation. The likelihood of such an event is most probably quite low. The recent finding of 7 cases of collagen balls may correlate with an increased prevalence of collagen balls in peritonealfl uids, thus increasing the probability of their transport to the cervix.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cytopathology, Department of Pathology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029, USA. arnold.szporn@mssm.edu
authors.forename: Arnold
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szporn
authors.forename: Xiaoi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Maoxin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Burnstein
mesh_terms: D003094:Collagen / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D014626:Vaginal Smears
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen