Cytology and colposcopy in the diagnosis and management of outpatients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

One hundred consecutive outpatients seen in the colposcopy clinic of a private hospital had one or more Papanicolaou smears that suggested cervical atypia, dysplasia or carcinoma in situ. Of these 100 patients, 7% underwent a diagnostic cervical cone biopsy; 11% more had therapeutic conization. The accuracy of colposcopic examination with directed cervical biopsy within one level (under or over) of histologic findings was 88%; the cytologic accuracy within one level of histologic findings was 83%. The study showed that patients with cervical atypia at cytologic examination had dysplasia and carcinoma in situ at subsequent colposcopic cervical examination with directed biopsy.