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Summary A comparison was made between colposcopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and histology in 50 asymptomatic patients presenting with abnormal cervical cytology. Colposcopy was very accurate in predicting epithelial abnormalities. Using already established criteria, the SEM changes of carcinoma in situ were found to be reliable and reproducible and it was also found possible to predict whether or not invasion of the basement membrane had taken place.

The results of two "pancervical" Pap smears taken sequentially at the same sitting were evaluated on 2,823 patients in a Family Planning Program as part of a national sample to evaluate abnormal cervical cytology and method of contraception. It was found that obtaining two smears increased the detection of abnormal cytology in these patients by 86 per cent. Every group participating in this national study found a large increase in sensitivity, though not to the degree noted in our population. The importance of this result for case-finding and subsequent rescreening procedures is evident, and emphasizes that the single "pancervical" Pap smear is an insensitive procedure for detecting abnormal cervical cytology.