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SECOND OPINION :
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expert's advice on how to
avoid the most common
Pap smear mistakes .
New Technology : THE THIN PREP Pap Test
What it is : A new way of collecting and preparing Pap smear samples for analysis.
How It's Done: Instead of swabbing your cervix and placing the cells onto a slide before sending it to the laboratory for analysis, the THIN PREP test replaces the traditional swab with a new wand that goes directly from your cervix into a vial of fluid that then goes right to the laboratory. This ensures that the entire cell sampling - and not just a small portion - is submitted for analysis. Once it reaches the lab, your sample is first put through a de-clumping process, which makes it easier to see the individual cells, then a filtering process to separate the cells from other biological debris in your Pap smear.
The remaining cervical cells are then spread into a thin layer onto a glass slide for analysis. The end result is a slide that is clearer and may be easier to read. Ultimately, your Pap smear may be more accurate.
Improved Pap Smear Accuracy: A study of some 7,000 women conducted by the manufacturer revealed the Thin Prep Pap Smear was able to pinpoint abnormalities 65 percent more often than the traditionally prepared Pap smear slide.
A second study on some 50,000 women published in the Medical Journal of Australia found Thin Prep was also more efficient at identifying cell abnormalities. In certain instances, Thin Prep found high grade lesions, indicating an advanced form of cervical disease - while the traditional Pap smear failed to pick up any abnormalities, even with a second review.
Additional Costs: About $20 over and above the traditional Pap smear test; insurance coverage is not automatic, so check with your health plan.
New Technology : AUTO PAPSmear and PAPNET Pap Smear
What It Is : Both systems represent automated methods of analyzing Pap smear slides.
How It's Done: In both tests, computers are used to "read" the Pap smear slides, helping to decrease the margin of human error. In PAPNET, the slides are re-read by the computer after first being seen by a cytologist. In AutoPap the slides visit the computer analysis first and those that indicate an abnormality are re-read by a cytologist.
Improved Pap Smear Accuracy -
PAPNET: Studies comparing positive PAPNET Pap smear results with traditional Pap smears were similar, but PAPNET garnered results much faster. Studies on some 21,000 women reported in the Journal Lancet in 1997 found PAPNET identified negative smears 77 percent of the time, compared to 42 percent with traditional manual reading techniques. A 1998 study published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology found PAPNET was useful as a second analysis when Pap smears were classified as containing atypical squamous cells of undetermined origin (ASCUS), a common finding. Specifically, PAPNET could more accurately determine which women needed treatment for their abnormal cells and which were likely to experience regression on their own - all without a biopsy.
AutoPap Pap Smear; Data from a large scale clinical study of Pap smears obtained from more than 25,000 patients from five different laboratories, found that, overall, AutoPap achieved greater accuracy in early diagnosis of cervical disease, and reduced incidence of both false positive and false negative results.
Added Costs: Both PAPNET and AutoPap will add about $35 dollars each to the cost of your Pap smear; check with your health care provider about coverage.
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How accurate was your last Pap smear ?
Get an expert's opinion on how to avoid the most
common Pap Smear mistakes
The Thin Prep Pap Smear was able to pinpoint serious abnormalities that the traditional Pap smear failed to diagnose at all.
Intimate Health Care For Women
The New PAP Smear: What Every Woman Needs To Know
