Follow-up Papanicolaou smear for cervical atypia: are we missing significant disease? A HARNET Study.

Abstract

One third of the women with cervical atypia identified on an initial Pap smear in this primary care community setting had CIN after colposcopic biopsy. The single follow-up Pap smear obtained with the endocervical Cytobrush and wooden spatula failed to detect one half of the cases of biopsy-proven CIN. Further studies regarding the use of additional screening methods for follow-up are necessary.