Pap smears and cervical cancer

The Pap smear is both a visual inspection and a culture of the cervix. An instrument called a speculum holds the walls of the vagina open so that the cervix may be viewed and a swab of cells obtained for culture and analysis.

Review Date: 12/01/2005
Reviewed By: Sharon Roseanne Thompson, M.D., M.P.H., Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).

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