Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and human papilloma virus infection.

Evidence of human papilloma virus (HPV) infection was sought in 50 patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and 50 controls. Cytologic, colposcopic and histopathological examinations were carried out in each one of them. Cytological evidence of HPV infection was found in 13 cases and two controls. Colposcopic evidence was found in 33 (66%) cases and 17 (34%) controls and histopathological evidence in 35 (70%) patients and 14 (28%) controls. These differences were statistically significant. Colposcopy proved to be a good method of diagnosing HPV infection with a sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 80% compared to histopathologic diagnosis.