ATYPICAL GLANDULAR CELLS OF UNDETERMINED SIGNIFICANCE - CYTOLOGIC CRITERIA TO SEPARATE CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT FROM BENIGN LESIONS

Histologic follow-up of the cervical-vaginal smear diagnosis of atypic al glandular cells of undetermined significance (AGUS) shows a broad s pectrum of clinically significant (preneoplastic or neoplastic) and be nign lesions, There are few statistical studies that have attempted to separate these AGUS categories based on select cytologic criteria. Th e authors retrospectively reviewed 116 AGUS without concurrent squamou s dysplasia smears (66 clinically significant and 50 benign lesions), and used logistic regression analysis to identify the cytologic criter ia of irregular nuclear membranes, atypical single cells, and decrease d cytoplasm as useful in separating clinically significant from benign lesions, Using contingency tables, these criteria in combination had a sensitivity 29% and a specificity of 94% in the diagnosis of clinica lly significant lesions. If any single criterion was present, the sens itivity and specificity were 100% and 28%, respectively, In conclusion , by using key cytologic criteria, a percentage of benign AGUS lesions ran be separated from clinically significant AGUS lesions.