Vaginal cytology in endocrinopathies

In order to evaluate the diagnostic significance of vaginal smears in endocrinopathies associated with menstrual disorders, the cytologic pattern of vaginal smears was examined in 703 patients who had a well-established diagnosis of the disorder's origin. The patients were classified into four groups according to their menstrual disorders: primary amenorrhea (159 patients), secondary amenorrhea (116 patients), primary oligomenorrhea (214 patients) and secondary oligomenorrhea (214 patients). Using the maturation index and the maturation value, three cytologic patterns of vaginal smears were distinguished: parabasal cell pattern, intermediate cell pattern and superficial cell pattern. The frequency with which the cytologic patterns occurred in the groups of patients and their subdivisions are presented. As a whole, the 703 patients showed 25.2% with a parabasal cell pattern, 58.3% with an intermediate cell pattern and 16.5% with a superficial cell pattern. Although the cytohormonal pattern of vaginal smears in endocrinopathies with associated menstrual disorders is not diagnostic of a specific endocrinopathy, the cellular patterns may prove helpful in suggesting a range of diagnoses or in excluding some possibilities.