The efficacy of an endocervical brush in obtaining adequate Papanicolaou smears

A total of 249 consecutive women attending a family planning clinic were entered in a study to determine the efficacy of the endocervical brush versus the cotton swab in obtaining routine Papanicolaou smears. Also investigated were whether the experience level of the smear taker contributed to the adequacy of the sample and whether simultaneous sampling by means of the spatula (an ectocervical sampling method) was justified. The use of the endocervical brush in place of the swab was found to improve cell collection by reducing the frequency of inadequate smears. The experience of the sample taker appeared not to be a factor in obtaining adequate smears. In 9% of the samples, only the ectocervical specimen was found to be satisfactory, indicating that use of the spatula should not be abandoned.