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Surgery => Gynecology => Pap Smear
Pap Smear
Pap Smear, also known as Papanicolaou smear test or cervical smear test, simple procedure used to detect cellular changes in a woman's cervix (small organ connecting vagina and uterus) that may lead to cancer. Named after its developer, George Papanicolaou, the Pap smear has helped reduce the death rate from cervical cancer by 70 percent since its introduction in the 1940s. The test is 70 to 95 percent accurate in detecting cervical abnormalities.
The Pap smear is typically performed by a physician during a routine pelvic exam . Using an instrument called a speculum to hold the walls of the vagina apart, the physician obtains a sample of cells from the surface of the cervix by gently scraping the cervix with a cotton swab, small brush, or small wooden spatula. To obtain cell samples from inside the cervical canal, the doctor inserts a cotton swab into the cervical opening. These cell samples are then wiped onto a glass slide and analyzed under a microscope.
The Pap smear can detect if cervical cells are normal, and it provides a 95 percent chance of detecting cervical dysplasia, a noncancerous condition of abnormal cell growth. Often, mild dysplasia disappears without treatment. Dysplasia that does not resolve on its own requires diagnostic procedures that may include a colposcopy (an examination with a colposcope, or lighted magnifying instrument) and a biopsy (a small tissue sample taken for laboratory analysis). Pap smears are also used to check the cervix for viral infection, such as herpes or human papilloma virus (HPV).
The American Cancer Society recommends that women have a Pap smear after they begin having sexual intercourse or by the age of 18, whichever comes first. Thereafter, women should talk with their physicians to determine a regular schedule of Pap smears that best meets the woman's needs; many physicians recommend having the test performed once a year. Annual tests improve the chance of early cancer detection, since most cervical cancers develop over several years. Women at high risk for cervical cancer, for instance, daughters of women who took the synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES) while they were pregnant; women who began having sexual intercourse before age 18; women who have had numerous sexual partners or who have had a partner with numerous sexual partners; or women who have herpes or HPV, should have a Pap smear at least once a year.
The Pap smear provides best results if the woman avoids douching or sexual intercourse 48 hours before the exam, and for pre-menopausal women, if the exam is performed midway through the menstrual cycle (to avoid blood contamination of the cell sample). Since postmenopausal women are at increased risk for cervical cancer, it is important for older women to continue receiving Pap smears throughout their lives.
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