The management of the patient with abnormal vaginal cytology following hysterectomy.

Thirty-two patients presenting with abnormal vaginal cytology following hysterectomy were studied. Seven (21.8%) had had hysterectomy for benign conditions whilst 25 (78.1%) had cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or invasive cervical carcinoma. Twenty-five patients had partial or total vaginectomy (15 as the primary procedure), and one required laser treatment following vaginectomy. Of 11 (34.3%) patients treated primarily by laser, five subsequently required vaginectomy because of persistent or recurrent cytological abnormality. All four patients treated with topical 5-fluorouracil or dinitrochlorobenzene subsequently required surgery. Nine of the 32 patients (28.1%) proved to have invasive carcinoma of the vagina on histological examination of the vaginectomy specimen. At the time of writing all patients in the study are well with no evidence of disease.