title: Impact of prolonged referral interval on colposcopic outcomes in women with moderate or severe dysplasia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To ascertain the impact of long referral to first colposcopy interval on disease outcome in women with high-grade cervical smear tests.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from 316 women categorized into Group 1 (seen 180 days after referral) and Group 2 (seen within 180 days of referral) were analyzed using chi2 test with Yates correction. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women in Group 1 were less likely to need treatment (33.8% [25/74] vs 55.8% [135/242]; OR=0.45; 95% CI, 0.25-0.78; P=0.0004) and less likely to have high-grade disease (24.3% [18/74] vs 45.9% [111/242]); OR=0.37; 95% CI, 0.21-0.68; P=0.001) than women in Group 2. There was no significant difference between the groups in proportion of women with invasive disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In women with high-grade smears the need for excisional treatment and the risk of invasive disease may be reduced by prolonged referral interval.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, North Middlesex University Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Biodun
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fakokunde
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Selo-Ojeme
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003127:Colposcopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D014626:Vaginal Smears