[Validity of visual inspection with acetic acid versus cervical cytology].

Background: Precancerous lesions, conditions associated with exposure to human papillomavirus (HPV), threaten women's health at different stages of life, from adolescence to old age. It has been observed that a low-cost strategy, such as visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), reveals cervical lesions, while establishing interventions that allow modifying the course of the disease, thus improving women's quality of life.

Objective: To determine the validity of VIA in comparison with cervical cytology for the detection of precancerous lesions.