title: Evaluation of the category high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion in The Bethesda System for reporting cervical cytology.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) is a category of The Bethesda System (TBS) for reporting cervical cytology that is in vogue since the introduction of the said system in 1988 and it was not modified in 2001 modification of TBS. The term includes moderate dysplasia (CIN II), severe dysplasia (CIN III) and squamous cell carcinoma in situ. Terms like ASC-US used in TBS are being considered to be not very useful in the prediction about the possible behavior of the pathological status of the cervix. After more than 10 years of use the term HSIL also needs fresh evaluation as in this category two entities of potentially different outcome are clubbed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to find out whether it is justified to have a term like HSIL which includes different points of the spectrum of intraepithelial pathology of cervix from moderate hyperplasia through carcinoma in situ, all having different significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study 619 cases of cervical cytology reported by TBS were evaluated by comparing them with biopsy reports of the same lesion for the assessment of the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of HSIL as a category of diagnosis in TBS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As a category, HSIL had the diagnostic sensitivity of 96.4%, specificity of 87.5%. The positive predictive value was 96.4%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HSIL as a diagnostic category shows a very good predictive accuracy, which implies that it provides a very high probability of the accurate diagnosis collectively of all the conditions in the disease spectrum from moderate dysplasia through in situ carcinoma. Hence, HSIL was found to be a very useful diagnostic category in TBS that conveys proper message to the clinician.
authors: Department of Pathology, Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
authors: Subhalakshmi
authors: S
authors: Mukhopadhyay
authors: Sumit
authors: S
authors: Ray
authors: Supria
authors: S
authors: Dhar
authors: Ranjana
authors: R
authors: Bandyopadhyay
authors: Swapan K
authors: SK
authors: Sinha
keywords: High-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion; positive predictive value; sensitivity; specificity
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