Review of cytologic slides from the national women's hospital, New Zealand, cohort of women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 3 diagnosed in 1955-1976.
OBJECTIVE
To review cytologic slides, mostly at least 25 years old, from women attending National Women's Hospital, Auckland, who had been diagnosed histologically with cervical carcinoma in situ in 1955-1976.


METHODS
Smears comprised all those from the 2 years following diagnosis as well as all subsequent smears for women who developed "microinvasive" or invasive lower genital tract cancer. The Victorian Cytology Service performed the review using the Australian Modified Bethesda System. was 0.97.


RESULTS
Nine percent of 4,930 retrieved slides were technically unsatisfactory. Original (Papanicolaou) and review coding were available for 4,477 slides. Using categories of equivalence, smears coded as normal (original, 59.2%; review, 61.4%) or showing possible or definite high grade abnormalities (original, 25.9%; review, 29.6%) were found in similar proportions. The kappa statistic (0.79) indicated a high level of agreement between original and review coding. In comparison with the review, the sensitivity of the original coding in detecting high grade abnormalities was 0.80, while the ability of the original assessment to categorize smears as not high grade (specificity)


CONCLUSIONS
This comprehensive review found nearly all archived cytology slides to be technically satisfactory and the broad diagnostic cytologic categories from earlier periods (apart from benign lesions) to be concordant with those currently used.
McCredie
Margaret R E
MR
Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin New Zealand. margaret.mccredie@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
Medley
Gabriele
G
Sharples
Katrina J
KJ
Jones
Ronald W
RW
Baranyai
Judith
J
Paul
Charlotte
C
Skegg
David C G
DC
D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000379:methods*; D014932:Women's Health Services; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*