title: The performance of a new scoring system for colposcopy in detecting high-grade dysplasia in the uterine cervix.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To construct a simple scoring system for colposcopic examination that can facilitate education of colposcopists and increase the accuracy of evaluation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective clinical study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred ninety-seven examinations of women referred for colposcopy in western Sweden.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five variables were scored: acetowhiteness, margins and surface, vessels, lesion size, and iodine staining. Each variable could be assigned one of three ordered values. Multiple logistic regression was used in order to assess the ability of each single score to predict high-grade lesions (HGL) in histology (cone or biopsy).
  
  
  METHODS
  Histopathology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All five variables independently predicted for HGL. The analysis resulted in an 'ideal' weighted scoring system, which showed good sensitivity and specificity. Rounding off of each weight gave a more useful and simpler scoring system with values of 0, 1, or 2 without any significant change in performance. The possible total score was then 0-10. A score of > or =5 points identified all HGL and > or =8 points had a specificity of 90%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The scoring system safely identified a group of patients with low-grade lesions or normal findings, thus allowing 17% to be followed only by colposcopy or cytology. Furthermore, it could select women for see-and-treat with only 10% of cases having less than HGL. With this strategy, only approximately 50% of the cases would have needed biopsy in the evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden. bjorn.strander@oc.gu.se
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Strander
authors.forename: Agneta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ellström-Andersson
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Franzén
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Milsom
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rådberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003127:Colposcopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013548:Sweden; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000473:pathology*