Azerbajdžanskij Medicinskij žurnal · Jun 28, 2026
Comparative characteristics of methods for cytological examination of cervical smears
By Мехдиева ЮД
The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the conventional Pap test and liquid-based cytology, taking into account age-related characteristics of women. The retrospective analysis included 400 cytological reports from women divided into three age groups: 18-44 years, 45-49 years, and 50 years and older. Smears in the Negative for interaepithelial lesion or malignancy (NILM) category were subdivided according to the presence of inflammation, atrophy, and the absence of morphological features. A predominance of inflammatory changes was identified in group I among women aged 50 years and older (50%, 2=16.88; р<0.01), whereas smears from women aged 18-44 years were unremarkable in 73% of cases. In the liquid-based cytology group, inflammatory changes were more frequent in the 18-44-year age group (86%, 2=20.75; р=0.002), whereas atrophic changes were more frequent in women aged 50 years and older (19.5%). Abnormal smear findings were identified in 9% (conventional method) and 11.5% (liquid-based cytology) of cases. Statistically significant differences were identified in the distribution of cytological findings in the NILM category between the two examination methods (р<0.01). Liquid-based cytology showed greater sensitivity to inflammatory and early cellular changes in women under 50 years of age. The findings confirm the diagnostic characteristics of both methods and emphasize the importance of considering age when choosing a cervical screening method. The article provides information on a study conducted to elucidate the age-related characteristics of the cytological parameters of cervical material. The retrospective study included cytological results from 400 apparently healthy women. The women included in the study were divided into three age groups: 18- 44 years, 45-49 years, and over 50 years. Patients in whom no epithelial or malignant lesion was detected (NILM – Negative for interaepithelial lesion or malignancy) were classified according to the presence or absence of inflammation, signs of atrophy, and specific changes. Analysis using the conventional method showed that inflammatory changes predominated in NILM smears obtained from women aged 50 years and older (50%), whereas NILM findings without specific changes were observed in 73% of cases among women aged 18-44 years. In liquid-based cytological examination, inflammatory changes were more frequently encountered in women aged 18 to 44 years (86%), whereas atrophy was encountered mainly in women over 50 years of age (19.5%). Pathological findings were identified in 9% of cases using the conventional method and in 11.5% using liquid-based cytology. Statistically significant differences were observed between the two methods in the distribution of NILM results. Liquid-based cytology showed higher sensitivity in detecting inflammatory and early cellular changes in women up to 50 years of age. The findings confirm the diagnostic characteristics of both methods and indicate the importance of considering age when choosing cervical screening. The present study provides a comparative analysis of conventional Pap smear ang liquid-based cytology (LBC) methods, considering age-related features of cytological findings in women. A retrospective analysis included 400 cytological reports from women divided into three age groups: 18-44, 45-49 and >50 years. Cytological results Negative for interaepithelial lesion or malignancy (NILM) were classified according to the presence of inflammation, atrophy or no background chances. In the conventional method, inflammatory changes predominated in smears of women aged >50 years (50%, 2 =16,88; р<0,01), whereas NILM without background changes was more common in the 18-44 group (73%). In the LBC group, inflammatory changes were more frequent in women aged 18-44 (86,1%, 2 =20,75; p= 0,002), while atrophic changes were more often observed in those aged >50 (19,5%). Abnormal cytological findings were identified in 9% (conventional method) and 11,5% (LBC), primarily ASC-US and LSIL. Statistically significant differences were found in the structure of cytological conclusions NILM between the two methods (p<0,01). LBC showed higher sensitivity in detecting inflammatory and early cellular changes in women under 50. The results emphasize the diagnostic characteristics of each method and highlight the importance of age-related considerations when choosing a cervical screening strategy.