ArticleInfectious diseases in obstetrics and gynecology2013
Inflammation on the cervical papanicolaou smear: evidence for infection in asymptomatic women?
Article in Infectious diseases in obstetrics and gynecology, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Cytopathology of the microbiome-immune interface: Emerging applications of cytology in infectious, inflammatory, and neoplastic conditions.CytoJournal · 2026Review
- Genital infections in high-risk human papillomavirus positive Paraguayan women aged 30-64 with and without cervical lesions.PloS one · 2024Article
- Cervical Intraepithelial Lesions in Women with Persistent Inflammatory Smear on Pap Smear: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.JNMA; journal of the Nepal Medical Association · 2021Observational
- Exploring a Paired Perspective: Significance of Reporting the Presence of Cannon Balls and the Absence of Lactobacilli on Pap Smears.Journal of cytologyArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe significance of the possible presence of infection on the Pap smear of asymptomatic women based on cytological criteria is practically unknown. MATERIALS AND
methodsA total of 1117 asymptomatic nonpregnant women had Pap smear tests and vaginal as well as cervical cultures completed (622 with and 495 without inflammation on the Pap smear).
resultsOut of the 622 women with inflammation on Pap test, 251 (40.4%) had negative cultures (normal flora present), while 371 (59.6%) women had positive cultures with different pathogens. In contrast, the group of women without inflammation on Pap test displayed significantly increased percentage of negative cultures (67.1%, P < 0.001) and decreased percentage of positive cultures (32.9%, P < 0.001). Bacterial vaginosis was diagnosed more frequently in both groups and significantly more in the group with inflammation on Pap smear compared to the group without inflammation (P < 0.02).
conclusionsA report of inflammatory changes on the cervical Pap smear cannot be used to reliably predict the presence of a genital tract infection, especially in asymptomatic women. Nevertheless, the isolation of different pathogens in about 60% of the women with inflammation on the Pap smear cannot be overlooked and must be regarded with concern.
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