Background: (1) To assess the prevalence of histologically confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in patients with cervical smears diagnosed as atypical squamous or glandular cells of undetermined significance. (2) To evaluate the role of colposcopy and the presence of human papillomavirus in detecting underlying cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.
Materials and methods: In this prospective cohort, 148 women with atypical squamous or glandular cells of undetermined significance were evaluated by colposcopy, histological sampling, and human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic acid testing.
Results: Histological diagnosis of >/= cervical intraepithelial neoplasia II was found in 10/148 women. Women with a histological >/= cervical intraepithelial neoplasia II had a higher prevalence of >/= two abnormal quadrants (90% vs. 38%</= cervical intraepithelial neoplasia I, p = 0.002) and of high/intermediate-risk human papillomavirus (90% vs. 42% </= cervical intraepithelial neoplasia I, p = 0.005).
Conclusion: Our study shows that premalignant lesions of the cervix were present in 7% of the patients with a cytological diagnosis of atypical squamous or glandular cells of undetermined significance. Colposcopy and human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic acid testing are both important parameters in detecting >/= cervical intraepithelial neoplasia II.