Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in the young female. Diagnosis and management

The prevalence of HPV and CIN in young women has increased in recent years. During a 5-year period (1996-2000), 78 sexually active young females, aged 15-20 years, were referred to the Colposcopic Unit of the 1(st) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University of Athens in the major Univ ersity-appointed hospital in Greece, because of an abnormal cytology or a s uspicious cervical abnormality in the presence of negative cytology. Colpos copic examinations were found to be within normal limits in 12/78 (15.4%) o f cases. Cervical pathology was related in 22 cases (28.2%) to HPV infectio n, 23 (29.5%) cases to CIN 1, 18 (23.1%) cases to CIN II and 3 (3.8%) to CI N III. No relation between oral contraceptive use and cigarette smoking wit h HPV infection was found. Our findings strongly confirm the necessity of o btaining cervicovaginal smears on all sexually active gynecologic and obste tric teenage patients.