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To compare the results of colposcopically directed biopsy with the final diagnosis established by the analysis of the surgical specimen, and to determine the clinical and colposcopic factors on which the reliability of biopsy is based.Five hundred and sixty-seven women were seen by the same colposcopist who also performed the directed biopsies and/or the endocervical curettage. The final histological diagnosis identified 29 normal aspects (5.2%), 58 low-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CIN) (10.2%), 448 high-grade CINs (79.0%), 16 microinvasive cancers (2.8%) and 16 occult invasive cancers (2.8%). The influence of several factors--such as age, parity, menopause, pregnancy, history of cervical treatment, site of the squamocolumnar junction, localization, size and severity of the lesions--on the pertinence of the biopsy was studied in a uni- and multifactorial analysis.Colposcopy was satisfactory in 399 patients (70.4%) in whom the colposcopic aspect was consistent with the final histological diagnosis in 81.2% of cases. The global agreement between biopsy diagnosis and final diagnosis was observed in 89.6% of cases. It was 84.2% for low-grade CINs, 95.8% for high-grade CINs, 31.2% for microinvasive cancers and 81.2% for invasive cancers. No clinical or colposcopic factor could be identified as independent factor associated with the diagnostic agreement with the directed biopsy. Conversely, concordance of biopsy was related to the final diagnosis since the only independent risk factors were a high-grade CIN (adjusted risk ratio (ARR)=1.52, 95% CI=1.11-2.08; p=0.006) and a microinvasive or invasive cancer (ARR=0.56, 95% CI=0.39 0.81; p=0.002).To ensure that a microinvasive cancer has not been overlooked, the excision of high-grade CINs seems to be justified, whatever the clinical status and the colposcopic aspect.

One of the possible mechanisms responsible for pre-eclampsia is a loss of efficiency of the L-arginine-nitric oxide pathway with subsequent inactivation of the guanylyl cyclases of the vascular smooth muscle cells. As a result there should be a decrease in plasma cyclic 3'-5' guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) concentrations in pre-eclampsia. We assessed the behavior of this nucleotid in the plasma of pre-eclamptic women.Sixteen pre-eclamptic women, 16 normotensive pregnant women matched for gestational age and six nonpregnant controls were investigated. Arterial blood pressure was recorded at inclusion time and then once-a-day until the fourth day after delivery concomitantly with the collection of blood samples for determining plasma cGMP, atrial natriuretic peptides (ANP), creatinine, uric acid and platelet counts. Also 24 h urines were simultaneously collected to calculate renal clearance of cGMP.Before the initiation of antihypertensive treatment, plasma cGMP levels were significantly higher (p0.01) in pre-eclampsia women as compared both to pregnant normotensive controls and nonpregnant women (7.02 +/- 0.9 versus 4.8 +/- 0.76 versus 1.93 +/- 0.15 pmol.ml-1, p0.01). Under antihypertensive treatment, cGMP levels decreased significantly (p0.05) to 5.48 +/- 0.9 pmol.ml-1. The increase of plasma cGMP was associated with high ANP levels; the likelihood that a renal impairment could account for an increase in plasma cGMP was ruled out because the clearance of creatinine was not impaired. Similarly the possibility of a significant linear correlation between cGMP levels and blood pressure values or biological data was excluded in these women.Plasma cGMP concentrations are increased in pre-eclampsia. They decrease to control values when blood pressure returns to normal values; they indicate enhanced guanylyl cyclase activation by ANP and additional factors, but cannot be considered as a direct index of the severity of pre-eclampsia.