Biomaterial Database

Pregnancy-related changes: a retrospective review of 278 cervical smears. 1997

C W Michael, and F M Esfahani

Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor 48109-0054, USA.

Pregnancy-related physiologic changes are well recognized. However, the normal range of changes as reflected in the cervical smear have not been adequately described. Review of 278 abnormal cervical smears from 153 pregnant/preabortal and 125 postpartum/ abortal patients revealed the following: 21 high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HGSIL) cases, 46 low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LGSIL) cases, 185 atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) cases, and 26 atypical glandular cells of undetermined significance (AGUS) cases. Surgical correlation (excluding 18 products of conception and 153 placentas) was available in 98 (35%) of the cases. Dysplasia was confirmed on biopsy of 11 cases cytologically diagnosed as HGSIL (7 CINII/III and 4 CIN I), 19 cases cytologically diagnosed as LGSIL (6 CIN II/III and 13 CIN I), 35 cases of ASCUS (4 CIN II/III and 31 CIN I), and 2 cases of AGUS (1 CIN III and 1 CIN I). Decidualization was present in six cervical and three endometrial biopsies. The remaining 180 cases revealed pregnancy-related changes in most of the atypical groups and a few in the dysplasia groups. With pregnancy, both cervical glands and stroma undergo physiologic changes. These result in squamous metaplasia due to ectropion and cells with hypervacuolated cytoplasm and atypical nuclei reflecting endocervical gland hyperplasia and/or Arias-Stella reaction. The decidual cells are large, with variably staining cytoplasm and a large nucleus. Degenerated decidual or trophoblastic cells can also shed from the endometrium and mimic HGSIL. Despite the caution required in this population, dysplastic changes should not be underestimated.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D011247	Pregnancy	The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH.	Gestation,Pregnancies
D011248	Pregnancy Complications	Conditions or pathological processes associated with pregnancy. They can occur during or after pregnancy, and range from minor discomforts to serious diseases that require medical interventions. They include diseases in pregnant females, and pregnancies in females with diseases.	Adverse Birth Outcomes,Complications, Pregnancy,Adverse Birth Outcome,Birth Outcome, Adverse,Complication, Pregnancy,Outcome, Adverse Birth,Pregnancy Complication
D002578	Uterine Cervical Dysplasia	Abnormal development of immature squamous EPITHELIAL CELLS of the UTERINE CERVIX, a term used to describe premalignant cytological changes in the cervical EPITHELIUM. These atypical cells do not penetrate the epithelial BASEMENT MEMBRANE.	Cervical Dysplasia,Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia,Cervix Dysplasia,Dysplasia of Cervix Uteri,Neoplasia, Cervical Intraepithelial,Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia, Grade III,Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasms,Intraepithelial Neoplasia, Cervical,Cervical Dysplasia, Uterine,Cervical Dysplasias,Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasm,Cervix Uteri Dysplasia,Cervix Uteri Dysplasias,Dysplasia, Cervical,Dysplasia, Cervix,Dysplasia, Uterine Cervical,Intraepithelial Neoplasm, Cervical,Intraepithelial Neoplasms, Cervical,Neoplasm, Cervical Intraepithelial,Neoplasms, Cervical Intraepithelial
D003656	Decidua	The hormone-responsive glandular layer of ENDOMETRIUM that sloughs off at each menstrual flow (decidua menstrualis) or at the termination of pregnancy. During pregnancy, the thickest part of the decidua forms the maternal portion of the PLACENTA, thus named decidua placentalis. The thin portion of the decidua covering the rest of the embryo is the decidua capsularis.	Deciduum,Deciduas
D003937	Diagnosis, Differential	Determination of which one of two or more diseases or conditions a patient is suffering from by systematically comparing and contrasting results of diagnostic measures.	Diagnoses, Differential,Differential Diagnoses,Differential Diagnosis
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012189	Retrospective Studies	Studies used to test etiologic hypotheses in which inferences about an exposure to putative causal factors are derived from data relating to characteristics of persons under study or to events or experiences in their past. The essential feature is that some of the persons under study have the disease or outcome of interest and their characteristics are compared with those of unaffected persons.	Retrospective Study,Studies, Retrospective,Study, Retrospective
D014327	Trophoblasts	Cells lining the outside of the BLASTOCYST. After binding to the ENDOMETRIUM, trophoblasts develop into two distinct layers, an inner layer of mononuclear cytotrophoblasts and an outer layer of continuous multinuclear cytoplasm, the syncytiotrophoblasts, which form the early fetal-maternal interface (PLACENTA).	Cytotrophoblasts,Syncytiotrophoblasts,Trophoblast,Cytotrophoblast,Syncytiotrophoblast
D014626	Vaginal Smears	Collection of pooled secretions of the posterior vaginal fornix for cytologic examination.	Cervical Smears,Cervical Smear,Smear, Cervical,Smear, Vaginal,Smears, Cervical,Smears, Vaginal,Vaginal Smear