Colposcopic pictures of Abnormal Transformation Zone (ANTZ): colpocytological and histological findings.

ABSTRACT

The Authors have examined the correlation between the colposcopic pictures of the Abnormal Transformation Zone (ANTZ), in its varying degrees, and the colpocytological and histological examinations in order to seek a better definition of the indications of carrying out aimed biopsies. From our results a good agreement has been observed from the colpocytological and histological examination and the colposcopic pictures of the ANTZ. In patients with colposcopic images of ANTZ G2 the colpocytological examination diagnosed a CIN 3 in 80.6% of cases, invasive carcinoma in 6.4%, and in histologic examination CIN 3 in 71% and microinvasive carcinoma in 10.7%. Instead in the ANTZ G1, CIN 3 was revealed colpocytologically in 7.9% of the cases and histologically in 7.3%. Among these last, in half of the cases, the focuses of CIN 3 were present at the level of third inferior of the cervical canal. Finally, in ANTZ G0 there was cytological evidence in 6.6% of cases of CIN 3 with a histological correspondence of 3.9%. In particular the focuses of CIN 3, small and limited, had resulted from biopsies carried out on some glandular openings not clearly attributable to ANTZ G1. With regard to the opportuneness of carrying out aimed biopsies, mandatory in the cases of ANTZ G2, we feel it would be useful to carry them out also for ANTZ G1, above all if alterations are diagnosed at the colpocytologic examinations, and in ANTZ G0 if colpocytological alterations are present. Therefore integrating colposcopic and colpocytologic examinations and aiming the biopsies would seem to lead to good diagnostic reliability and adequate successive personalized treatment.