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ASCCP Patient Management Guidelines: Pap Test Specimen Adequacy and Quality Indicators
Diane D Davey1, R Marshall Austin, George Birdsong
1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA. ddavey@uky.edu
Objectives:
To provide management guidelines according to Pap test specimen adequacy based on literature review and expert opinion.
Methods:
A task force named by the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology conducted a literature review and discussed appropriate management. The steering committee of the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology and other experts reviewed the guidelines.
Results:
The guidelines recommend a repeat Pap test in 12 months for most women who are undergoing routine annual/biennial screening if the current Pap test is negative but either lacks an endocervical/transformation zone component or is partially obscured. Indications for considering an earlier repeat are also provided. The preferred management for unsatisfactory Pap tests is a repeat Pap test within a short interval of 2 to 4 months.
Conclusions:
The management guidelines will help promote optimal and uniform follow-up of women's Pap tests, according to Pap test specimen adequacy.
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