Liquid-Based Pap Test on 54-Year-Old Post-Menopausal Woman

by Marianna Sandomirsky, MD, Resident, Saint Louis University School of Medicine

Editor: Brian T. Collins, MD, Professor of Pathology, University of Utah, and Medical Director, Cytopathology, ARUP Laboratories

A 54-year-old post-menopausal woman without significant medical history presents to her physician, and a routine Pap smear screen is performed. Abnormal cytology results were obtained from the liquid-based Pap test.

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Cytopathology Findings

Liquid-based Pap test shows the following:

  • Small crowded cell clusters and scattered single cells (fig. 1).
  • The cells are medium to large size and have irregular nuclear contours (fig. 2).
  • Chromatin is irregularly distributed with prominent nucleoli (fig. 3).
  • The cytoplasm is scant with numerous intracytoplasmic neutrophils and occasional vacuoles (fig. 4 and fig. 5).

Final Diagnosis & Discussion

This case report published: September 1, 2009.

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