What is the difference between the new Thin Prep PAP smear and the conventional smear?
The Thin Prep PAP smear is processed differently. The cells from the cervix are obtained in the same way as previously but then instead of smearing the cells on a slide which is then stained and viewed through a microscope, the cells removed from the cervix are placed in a solution. The debris, blood, mucous, etc. is washed away and the collected cervical cells are then placed on a slide and viewed by the cytologist. Any abnormalities are then easier to identify since they do not have to try to view cervical cells in a mixture of other debris.
Related Questions
- A conventional Pap smear is an established and trusted method and computer rescreening has been approved for the conventional Pap smear. Why should we switch to the ThinPrep Pap Test?
- What is the difference between the new Thin Prep PAP smear and the conventional smear?
- Does the ThinPrep® Pap Test detect more abnormals than the conventional Pap smear?
