Evaluation and Treatment of Abnormal Pap Smears

Pap smear procedures are done as a cervical cancer screening test in a woman where samples of the cervical tests are taken from the cervix, and this is usually done to detect any changes in cervical cells and to determine any unusual growths be it cancerous or not. Abnormal pap smear occurs when there are abnormal cells found in your cervix, which may result in cervical or vaginal infections which are not cancerous.

Dr Essel, obstetrician and gynaecologist in East Rand, South Africa states that the kind of treatment that has to be performed would depend upon the causes of abnormal pap smears.

Causes and Treatment of Abnormal Pap Smears

It may be possible to get an abnormal Pap smear result due to a vaginal infection, of which the most common ones are:

• Vaginal yeast infection
• Bacterial infection of the vagina
• Chlamydia
• Gonorrhoea
• Trichomonas
• Human Papilloma Virus
• Menopause

If a pap test result is unclear or inconclusive, the next step that Dr Essel may recommend is that a colposcopy must be done. A colposcopy is a procedure where Dr Essel will use a microscope to inspect the cervix and differentiate abnormal cells from normal ones.

These infections can be treated using various medical therapies.

Treatment for abnormal pap smear

Abnormal cervical changes need to be removed so that they don’t develop to cancer. Dr Essel will discuss with you about abnormal pap smear treatment plan that is recommended for you according to the cause of the abnormal pap smear test results.

Common treatments include:

• Cold knife conization, where a scalpel will be used to remove the abnormal tissues.
• Cryotherapy is a procedure where a cold probe is used to destroy and freeze abnormal tissues.
• Laser therapy is a procedure where a narrow beam of intense light is used to destroy the abnormal tissues.
• Leep also called the loop electrosurgical excision procedure where a thin wire loop with an electrical current is used to remove abnormal tissues.

FAQ