What causes a high rate of unsatisfactory smears?
Overall, VCS reports about 1.5% of Pap smears as being unsatisfactory. The common reasons for this include obscuring of the cervical cells by blood or inflammation, and insufficient numbers of squamous cells on the slide. Sometimes inadequate fixation of the cells occurs. Many of these underpinning causes are beyond the control of the practitioner collecting the smear or the laboratory. Some unsatisfactory reports could be avoided by collecting smears in a different manner. Please refer to our instructions for taking a Pap smear Why is endocervical sampling important? Most precancerous abnormalities of the cervix commence in the transformation zone where the columnar epithelium of the endocervical canal meets the squamous epithelium of the vagina. If a Pap smear contains cells from the endocervix, this increases the probability of any abnormal cells being included in the sample. What causes a low rate of endocervical sampling? Overall, around 80% of Pap smears reported by VCS include a
