Does speculum lubricant affect liquid‐based Papanicolaou test adequacy?

Abstract

BACKGROUND:There is a paucity of data on the effect of vaginal lubricants on specimen adequacy in the era of liquidbased Papanicolaou (Pap) tests. Current manufacturer recommendations advise against the use of lubricants, especially those that contain carbomers or carbopol polymers. There is, however, no conclusive evidence to support this recommendation. Moreover, the data that does exist is conflicting. METHODS: Retrospective review was performed of all liquidbased Pap tests collected between January 2010 and March 2012 by the Gynecologic Oncology division at a single hospital. Specimen adequacy was compared for vaginal and cervical specimens that were collected with and without a lubricant. Results were also compared for specimens collected with lubricants that did or did not contain carbomers. RESULTS:There was no significant difference in specimen adequacy for cervical or vaginal Pap test specimens collected with a water-soluble lubricant not containing carbomers, compared to those collected without a lubricant. There was, however, a significantly higher rate of insufficient specimens when a water-soluble lubricant containing carbomers was

Etiologic factors related to unsatisfactory ThinPrep®cervical cytology: Evaluation and potential solutions to improve

“…Other studies also have reported similar observations. [ 6 24 25 ] Additional significant etiologic factors associated with high unsatisfactory rate were association with atrophic changes and blood.…”

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“…Entretanto, quando utilizado lubrificante contendo carbômeros, uma taxa significativamente maior de amostras (26.9%) se mostrou inadequada quando comparada ao grupo que fez uso de lubrificantes sem essa substância (1,7%). (LIN, 2014)…”

Improving visualization of the cervix during pelvic exams: A physical model and a steppingstone to reducing disparities in gynecological cancers

“…Relatedly, the need for and effect of lubrication (either supplemental lubrication or the lubrication that already comes placed on the condoms) with these methods needs to be studied. In the case of Pap smears, this is especially important because some fear that lubricated speculums cause artifact on the samples making interpretation di cult [52][53][54]; However, many others disagree, believing this fear is unsubstantiated or that the effect is small compared to the bene t of pain reduction [4,55,56]. Either way, the results of prior studies might not hold in the case of lubricated condoms, especially as some have found the effect of lubrication of Pap smear quality to depend on the material properties of the lubrication [54].…”