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Because Papanicolaou smears have a false-negative rate ranging from 10 to 50 percent, there is great interest in additional screening methods for detecting cervical neoplasia. This study evaluated the effectiveness of augmenting the Pap smear with an acetic acid wash of the cervix.
Nearly 3000 women seen at six family practices during an eight-month period underwent both a standard Pap smear and subsequent visual inspection of the cervix one minute after application of 5 percent acetic acid. Women with abnormal Pap smears or abnormal acetowhite areas on inspection underwent colposcopy. Biopsy-proven condyloma or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia was found in 93 cases based on abnormal results of the Pap smear alone, in 33 additional cases b…