As part of a continuing series on how the work of pathology laboratories contributes to patient care, this article looks at the Papanicolaou (Pap) or cervical smear test, which involves the microscopical examination of cells recovered by scraping the surface of the cervix. The incidence, causes and aetiology are described and the organisation of cervical screening is shown. Finally, the range of findings from a positive smear test is explained.
作为关于病理实验室工作如何为患者护理做出贡献的系列文章的一部分，本文探讨了巴氏（Pap）涂片检查或宫颈涂片检查，该检查涉及对通过刮取宫颈表面回收的细胞进行显微镜检查。文中描述了发病率、病因及病原学，并展示了宫颈筛查的组织情况。最后，对涂片检查呈阳性的一系列检查结果进行了解释。
