title: [Computer-assisted cervical screening].
abstract: As a result of the transition from obtaining cervical smears for diagnostic purposes only to obtaining them for preventive health screening, it became clear that automated imaging and evaluation would be inevitable; screening entails many more preparations needing to be assessed along with an anticipated reduction in the identification of abnormal findings. A uniform method of preparing specimens facilitates scanning and organising. Instead of the usual smearing of cervical specimens, a method has since been devised for creating thin-layer specimens. Current techniques for automated imaging allow by computer-assisted screening a preselection of deviant cells and cell groups that are later visually assessed by an analyst. There are two compact ('bench top') systems available that have similar features; their use generally corresponds to the way conventional cervical smears are processed. Computer-assisted screening saves laboratories time. Interpreting the cell groups preselected by the computer remains a human task.
authors.affiliation: Vrije Universiteit Medisch Centrum, afd. Pathologie, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. f.vkemenade@vumc.nl
authors.forename: Folkert J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: van Kemenade
authors.forename: Henk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Beerman
mesh_terms: D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards