Baseline human papillomavirus status of women with abnormal smears in cervical screening: a 5-year follow-up study in The Netherlands.

Objective: To determine in a screening population the human papillomavirus (HPV) status in those with cytological abnormalities and to evaluate the presence of high-risk (HR) HPV with a minimum of 5-year follow up.

Design: Retrospective examination of HPV status on prospectively collected and cytologically screened cervical smears.

Setting: Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital in Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Histologic processing of microbiopsies from cervical smears is diagnostically useful in selected cases.

We analyzed the value in cervical cytology of a recently developed technique by which it is possible to remove thick tissue specimens, called microbiopsies, from cervical smears and to process them for histologic examination. In 12 (48%) of 25 cervical smears in which microbiopsies were found, the histologic sections from them confirmed the cytologic diagnosis. Most cases involved classification of lesions diagnosed as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

Histologic processing of thick tissue specimens from cytology slides. A novel technique.

Objective: To describe a novel method by which small tissue fragments found in routine cytology specimens can be processed for histologic slides without destroying or damaging the cytologic specimen.

Study Design: To develop a method by which small tissue fragments (microbiopsies) are removed from cytologic slides and processed through paraffin or plastic, after which histologic slides can be prepared.

Results: In all cases described, the histologic sections from the microbiopsies were of excellent quality.