Birdsong G G
Department of Pathology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Hum Pathol. 1996 May;27(5):468-81. doi: 10.1016/s0046-8177(96)90090-8.
After more than four decades of research into automation of the process of screening Papanicolaou (Pap) smears, attempts to develop commercially viable automated screening machines have increased in recent years. These developments have been made possible in part because of the improving price-to-performance ratios in computers and other electronics. Although the Pap smear has been responsible for a very significant decrease in mortality of cervical cancer over the past 40 years, concern has arisen over false-negative cases, with their effects on patients, and the associated legal liability, particularly in the United States. In addition, shortages of cytotechnologists, which have been exacerbated by new regulations limiting the number of slides that may be examined per day, have caused concern about handling the workload, which will probably increase as more individuals gain access to preventive health care. Automated screening machines can potentially allow detection of abnormal cases that are missed with conventional screening, although they may substantially increase the cost of Pap smears. The use of automated screening machines represents a change in the way cervical cytology specimens are processed, and with some machines, a significant change in the operation of the cytology laboratory. Current methods for processing and evaluating Pap smears have not changed significantly for the past four decades. This review discusses some of the principles of operation and practical aspects of automated screening machines.
在对巴氏涂片筛查过程自动化进行了四十多年的研究之后，近年来开发具有商业可行性的自动筛查机器的尝试有所增加。这些进展部分得益于计算机和其他电子产品性价比的不断提高。尽管巴氏涂片在过去40年中使宫颈癌死亡率大幅下降，但人们对假阴性病例及其对患者的影响以及相关法律责任产生了担忧，尤其是在美国。此外，细胞技术人员短缺的问题因限制每天可检查玻片数量的新规定而更加严重，这引发了对工作量处理的担忧，随着更多人获得预防性医疗保健，工作量可能会增加。自动筛查机器有可能检测出传统筛查遗漏的异常病例，尽管这可能会大幅增加巴氏涂片的成本。自动筛查机器的使用代表了宫颈细胞学标本处理方式的改变，对于某些机器而言，还意味着细胞学实验室运作的重大变化。在过去的四十年里，目前处理和评估巴氏涂片的方法没有显著改变。本综述讨论了自动筛查机器的一些操作原理和实际应用方面。
