What does abnormal Pap test results mean?
Abnormal Pap test results include: This diagnosis means that some of the cells on your Pap smear did not look entirely normal but did not meet diagnostic criteria for a lesion. Your doctor may either repeat your Pap smear, or perform a colposcopy. The lab may test your Pap smear specimen for HPV.
What is a low grade lesion on a Pap smear?
Low-grade lesions may also be called mild dysplasia, or CIN1. If it is your first abnormal Pap smear, your doctor will likely recommend a colposcopy. This diagnosis means the cells appear very different from normal cells. These precancerous lesions are more severe than with LSIL, but involve cells on the surface of the cervix.
What does a normal Pap smear look like with fish scales?
Abnormal Pap Test Results A normal Pap smear shows healthy squamous cells (flat cells that look like fish scales) from the surface of the cervix. There are no signs of infection and no abnormal cells. Even if your Pap results are healthy, you should be tested regularly.
What happens if my Pap smear results are inconclusive?
If your Pap results are unclear or inconclusive, the next step will likely be a colposcopy. A colposcopy is a procedure in which your doctor uses a microscope to inspect your cervix. Your doctor will use a special solution during the colposcopy to help differentiate normal areas from abnormal ones.
What are the treatment options for abnormal Pap smear results?
The treatment or response to abnormal Pap smear screening is entirely depending on what the follow-up visit reveals. In addition to HPV and possible STD/STI testing, your physician will perform a colposcopy. From your end, this will feel similar to a Pap test.
What does low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion on a Pap smear mean?
This abnormal Pap smear result indicates that the cervical cells may be precancerous. Low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) on a Pap smear indicates that the changes present in the cells of the cervix are of low grade. This means that if there are precancerous changes, they may take several years to become cancer.