Editing Pap test (section)

===Results===
In screening a general or low-risk population, most Pap results are normal.

In the United States, about 2–3 million abnormal Pap smear results are found each year.<ref name="emedicine">{{cite web |title=Pap Smear |url=http://www.emedicinehealth.com/pap_smear/article_em.htm |access-date=2008-12-27}}</ref> Most abnormal results are mildly abnormal ([[Bethesda system|ASC-US]] (typically 2–5% of Pap results) or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion ([[Bethesda System#LSIL|LSIL]]) (about 2% of results)), indicating HPV infection.{{citation needed|date=January 2009}} Although most low-grade cervical dysplasias spontaneously regress without ever leading to [[cervical cancer]], dysplasia can serve as an indication that increased vigilance is needed.

In a typical scenario, about 0.5% of Pap results are high-grade SIL ([[Bethesda System#HSIL|HSIL]]), and less than 0.5% of results indicate cancer; 0.2 to 0.8% of results indicate Atypical Glandular Cells of Undetermined Significance (AGC-NOS).{{citation needed|date=January 2009}}

As liquid-based preparations (LBPs) become a common medium for testing, atypical result rates have increased. The median rate for all preparations with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions using LBPs was 2.9% in 2006, compared with a 2003 median rate of 2.1%. Rates for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (median, 0.5%) and atypical squamous cells have changed little.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Eversole GM, Moriarty AT, Schwartz MR, Clayton AC, Souers R, Fatheree LA, Chmara BA, Tench WD, Henry MR, Wilbur DC |year=2010 |title=Practices of participants in the college of american pathologists interlaboratory comparison program in cervicovaginal cytology, 2006 |url=https://meridian.allenpress.com/aplm/article/134/3/331/460995/Practices-of-Participants-in-the-College-of |journal=Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine |volume=134 |issue=3 |pages=331–5 |doi=10.5858/134.3.331 |pmid=20196659|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Abnormal results are reported according to the [[Bethesda system]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Nayar|first1=Ritu|last2=Solomon|first2=Diane|date=2004-01-01|title=Second edition of 'The Bethesda System for reporting cervical cytology' - Atlas, website, and Bethesda interobserver reproducibility project|journal=CytoJournal|language=en|volume=1|issue=1|page=4|doi=10.1186/1742-6413-1-4|pmc=526759|pmid=15504231 |doi-access=free }}</ref> They include:<ref name="emedicine" />

* Atypical squamous cells (ASC)
** Atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US)
** Atypical squamous cells&nbsp;– cannot exclude HSIL (ASC-H)
* Squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL)
** Low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LGSIL or LSIL)
** High-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HGSIL or HSIL)
* [[Squamous cell carcinoma]]
* Glandular epithelial cell abnormalities
** Atypical glandular cells not otherwise specified (AGC or AGC-NOS)

Endocervical and endometrial abnormalities can also be detected, as can a number of infectious processes, including [[Candida albicans|yeast]], [[herpes simplex virus]] and [[trichomoniasis]]. However it is not very sensitive at detecting these infections, so absence of detection on a Pap does not mean absence of the infection.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=González Pedraza Avilés |first=A. |last2=Ortiz Zaragoza |first2=C. |last3=Topete Barrera |first3=L. |last4=Mota Vázquez |first4=R. |last5=Ponce Rosas |first5=R. |date=2001-03-15 |title=[Is the Papanicolaou smear useful as aid for diagnosing some sexually transmitted infections?] |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11262330 |journal=Atencion Primaria |volume=27 |issue=4 |pages=222–226 |doi=10.1016/S0212-6567(01)78800-2 |issn=0212-6567 |pmc=7684047 |pmid=11262330}}</ref>

<gallery class="center">
Image:Normal PAP (Cervical) Smear.jpg|[[Micrograph]] of a normal pap smear
Image:Low-grade sil and endocx.jpg|[[Micrograph]] of a Pap test showing a low-grade intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) and benign [[endocervix|endocervical]] mucosa. [[Pap stain]].
Image:Trichomonas pap test.jpg|[[Micrograph]] of a Pap test showing [[trichomoniasis]]. Trichomonas organism seen in the upper right. [[Pap stain]].
Image:Herpes simplex virus pap test.jpg|[[Micrograph]] of a Pap test showing changes of [[herpes simplex virus]]. [[Pap stain]].
Image:Adenocarcinoma on pap test 1.jpg|Endocervical [[adenocarcinoma]] on a pap test.
Image:Candida pap 1.jpg|[[Candida (genus)|Candida]] organisms on a pap test.
Image:Herpes_simplex_virus_pap_test.jpg|Viral cytopathic effect consistent with [[herpes simplex virus]] on a pap test.
Image:Pap test normal.jpg|Normal squamous epithelial cells in [[premenopausal]] women
Image:Pap test atropy.JPG|Atrophic squamous cells in [[postmenopausal]] women
Image:Pap test endocervical cells.JPG|Normal [[Canal of the cervix|endocervical cells]] should be present into the slide, as a proof of a good quality sampling
Image:Pap test citolysis.JPG|The cytoplasms of squamous [[Epithelium|epithelial cells]] melted out; many [[Vaginal flora|Döderlein]] bacilli can be seen.
Image:Pap test trichomonas.JPG|Infestation by [[Trichomonas vaginalis]]
Image:Pap test abnormal.JPG|An obviously atypical cell can be seen
</gallery>