CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Worldwide, there is no single strategy for optimal management of patients with ASCUS (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance) cytology reports. The objective of this study was to determine the kind of clinical management conducted among women with a first ASCUS Pap smear report. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective single cohort study at a cervical pathology unit in Santiago, Chile. METHODS:This was an epidemiological, descriptive, observational and quantitative follow-up study on a cohort of women with ASCUS cytological reports. RESULTS: In the screening phase, 92,001 cervical cytological smears were collected in primary healthcare clinics. In the diagnostic phase, all women with a first ASCUS report were selected (n = 446). These women were asked to undergo the Pap test again and it was found that 301 women had normal results, 62 women had abnormal results and 83 did not repeat the test. In the diagnostic confirmation phase, the 62 women with abnormal results underwent colposcopy and, from these results, 58 of them underwent a biopsy. The results from the biopsies showed that 16 women had negative histological reports, 13 had CIN 1 and 29 had CIN 2+. In the treatment phase, the 42 women with lesions underwent a variety of treatments, according to the type of lesion. In the post-treatment phase, cytological and colposcopic monitoring was instituted. CONCLUSION:The clinical management consisted of traditional management of screening, diagnosis, diagnostic confirmation, treatment and post-treatment monitoring. RESUMO

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Inadequate Pap smears do not provide satisfactory cell samples for evaluation, thus making it more difficult to detect cervical cytological abnormalities. The objective of this study was to determine the cytological and histological follow-up results from women with inadequate smear reports in primary healthcare centers in Santiago, Chile 2010-2011. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective cohort study at primary healthcare clinics in Santiago, Chile. METHODS:The population was taken from the "Cito-Expert" database of 2010. The data were then organized according to the cytological and histological follow-up results of 2,547 women with inadequate cervical cytological reports over the 12-month period. The samples were assigned to groups based on the cause of inadequacy (smears with endocervical cells alone; insufficient, hemorrhagic, inflammatory or poorly fixed samples; insufficient and hemorrhagic samples; or insufficient and inflammatory specimens). The data were analyzed using the "conditional probability tree diagram" and descriptive statistics. RESULT: Half of the women (n = 1,285) met the requirements of the Ministry of Health for repeating these inadequate smears, and 1,104 of these women had normal cytological results (85.9%). The detection rate for cervical lesions according to group ranged from 0% (smears with endocervical cells alone or insufficient and hemorrhagic specimens) to 4.1% (poor fixation). CONCLUSION:The large proportion of normal results justifies revision of the current clinical guidelines. The results showed that it is not necessary to repeat the Pap test early on, with the exception of inadequate hemorrhagic and inflammatory cytological results.RESUMO CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO: Esfregaços inadequados de Papanicolaou não fornecem amostra satisfatória de células para avaliação, ficando assim mais difícil detectar anomalias citológicas cervicais. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar os resultados de seguimento citológico e histológico de mulheres com relatórios de esfregaços inadequados nas unidades básicas de saúde em Santiago, Chile, 2010. DESENHO E LOCAL: Estudo prospectivo de coorte em unidades básicas de saúde em Santiago, Chile. MÉTODOS: A população foi selecionada do banco de dados Cito-Expert em 2010. Na sequência, os dados foram organizados pelos resultados de seguimento citológico e histológico de 2.547 mulheres com relatórios inadequados de citologia cervical pelo período de 12 meses. As amostras foram atribuídas a grupos com base na causa de inadequação (esfregaços com células endocervicais; amostras insuficientes, inflamatórias, ou com má fixação, amostras insuficientes e hemorrágicas, ou espéci-mes insuficientes e inflamatórios). Os dados foram analisados com base no "conditional probability tree diagram" e estatísticas descritivas. RESULTADOS: Metade das mulheres (n = 1.285) preencheram os requisitos do Ministério da Saúde para repetir esses esfregaços; dessas mulheres, 1.104 tiveram resultados normais para citologia (85,9%). A detecção de lesões cervicais p...