Evaluation of a cervical cytology device (cell-sweep) based on comparison to colposcopic findings

A new cytology sampling device, the CellSweep, identifies squamous intraepithelial lesions with a sensitivity of 75%. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of cervical cytology using a new sampling device combining an endocervical brush and ectocervical spatula into one unit (CellSweep, patented by R. Mohajer, Troy, Michigan). From April 1995 to July 1995, 71 patients referred to the Allegheny University Hospitals Colposcopy Clinic had cervical cytology obtained with the CellSweep and underwent colposcopic evaluation of the cervix. The ability of the CellSweep to detect an abnormality confirmed by colposcopic evaluation was studied. Colposcopically directed ectocervical biopsies were obtained only in patients with identifiable lesions (n = 32). No random biopsies were obtained. The cytology smear was unsatisfactory for interpretation in one case. The remaining 70 Papanicolaou smears were read as normal in 17 (24%) cases and atypical squamous cells in 19 (27%). A squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) was detected in 34 (48%) smears. The colposcopic evaluation was normal in 50 patients who had satisfactory Papanicolaou smears, whereas SIL was detected in 20 cases. In 31 patients, SIL was not present in either colposcopy or cytology. In this preliminary study, the CellSweep identified SIL with a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 62%. The CellSweep, which combines an endocervical brush and an ectocervical spatula into a single unit, seems to be an acceptable device for obtaining cervical cells for cytologic screening.