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[Importance of endocervical cells in the diagnosis of CIN]
G Fortuna1, R Tramontana, M Monarca
1Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Seconda Università degli Studi, Napoli.
Background And Aim:
The authors performed a comparative study to define the role played by the presence of endocervical cells on the smear in the correct diagnosis of CIN.
Methods:
The study was performed from January to December 1996 at the Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Second University of Naples and involved 67 women with a histological diagnosis of CIN made in the two previous months of the study. The smears taken earlier were re-examined to assess the endocervical component regarding columnar and metaplastic cells and a comparison was made between smears which were CIN-positive and negative.
Results:
The difference between positive and negative CIN smears was statistically non-significant for columnar cells (66% vs 56%), unlike the findings for metaplastic cells (82% vs 61%). This demonstrated that CIN smears are more likely to include metaplastic cells compared to negative smears and the two types of smear do not differ significantly with regard to columnar cells.
Conclusions:
In order to make a cytological diagnosis of CIN, attention must predominantly be focused on the metaplastic component of endocervical cells.