Columnar and metaplastic cells in vault smears: cytologic and colposcopic study

Vault smears (n = 250) were examined as routine follow up of hysterectomized individuals. Although the majority of these smears were normal, 14 of them revealed the presence of columnar cells or metaplastic cells. None of these patients had any known cause which could account for the presence of these cells in a post-hysterectomy smear. The possible explanations could be (i) the common mullerian origin of the upper vaginal mucosal cells, (ii) exfoliated reparative squamous parabasal and basal cells mimicking columnar cells, (iii) goblet cell metaplasia in atrophic vaginal epithelium.