Dr. George Papanicolaou (1883 to 1962) developed the Pap Smear in 1941 assisted by Dr. Traut. This painless and simple procedure is used to detect precancerous changes in the cervix (the key words are precancerous changes). Cervical cancer takes 10 to 20 years to develop. The earlier any signs are detected the better the cure.
No Pathological Changes
A Pap smear may return with a finding of No Pathological Changes. This means the tissues of the cervix are of normal size and shape. There are no signs of abnormalities.
Inflammation
The results can detect signs of inflammation related to swelling or redness of the tissues taken from the Pap Smear.
ASCUS
In a finding of Atypical Cells of Undetermined Significance, the changes show 95 to 98 percent may be due to inflammation or 2 to 5 percent to pre-malignant changes.
AGCUS
Atypical Glandular Cells of Undetermined Significance means some abnormal glandular cells are present and may be due to (80 to 85 percent) inflammation and (10 to 15) percent pre-cancerous changes.
Malignant Cells Present
Malignant Cells Present means the Pap Smear result is positive for cancerous cells.
Other Detections
A Pap Smear can also detect Bacterial vaginosis, Trichomonos infection and some Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD).
Tags: Cells Undetermined, Cells Undetermined Significance, inflammation percent, Malignant Cells, Malignant Cells Present, Pathological Changes
