BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The cytological pattern of bacterial vaginosis (BV) in the Papanicolaou smear has a controversial history (coccoid vs. Gardnerella type) that has not allowed an efficient use of cervical/vaginal cytology in the diagnosis of this condition. Our study is an attempt to clarify this topic. GOALS: To evaluate the accuracy of cervical/vaginal cytology in the diagnosis of BV. STUDY DESIGN: 1,896 separate examinations were performed on 1,471 women attending our sexually transmitted diseases center between 1990 and 1993. Amsel's composite clinical criteria were used as a gold standard. The Pap smear was prepared on two slides with the addition of a vaginal specimen. RESULTS: In the 166 cases of BV, sensitivity is 88.7%, and specificity is 98.8%. Positive predictive value is 89.8, and negative predictive value is 98.7. Kendall's correlation coefficient is 0.88 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the validity of the vaginal Pap smear in diagnosing BV and suggest the screening of such a disease.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The cytological pattern of bacterial vaginosis (BV) in the Papanicolaou smear has a controversial history (coccoid vs. Gardnerella type) that has not allowed an efficient use of cervical/vaginal cytology in the diagnosis of this condition. Our study is an attempt to clarify this topic. GOALS: To evaluate the accuracy of cervical/vaginal cytology in the diagnosis of BV. STUDY DESIGN: 1,896 separate examinations were performed on 1,471 women attending our sexually transmitted diseases center between 1990 and 1993. Amsel's composite clinical criteria were used as a gold standard. The Pap smear was prepared on two slides with the addition of a vaginal specimen. RESULTS: In the 166 cases of BV, sensitivity is 88.7%, and specificity is 98.8%. Positive predictive value is 89.8, and negative predictive value is 98.7. Kendall's correlation coefficient is 0.88 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the validity of the vaginal Pap smear in diagnosing BV and suggest the screening of such a disease.
Authors: Sujatha Srinivasan; Martin T Morgan; Tina L Fiedler; Danijel Djukovic; Noah G Hoffman; Daniel Raftery; Jeanne M Marrazzo; David N Fredricks Journal: MBio Date: 2015-04-14 Impact factor: 7.867