They gently put a smooth, tube-shaped tool (a speculum) into your vagina - this holds the walls of the vagina open.
They may use a small amount of lubricant.
They open the speculum so they can see your cervix.
Using a soft brush, they take a small sample of cells from your cervix..
During a hysterectomy, the uterus is removed, but the cervix and the upper part of the vagina (the vault) may be left behind.
The vault smear test is similar to a Pap smear, but instead of collecting cells from the cervix, the medical professional collects cells from the upper part of the vagina..
Overview.
Cervical cytology refers to the process of screening samples of cells for abnormalities.
The steps that make up that process are detailed below.
Screening appointment.
Small sample of cells taken from cervix for testing..
A vault smear is a cytological sample taken from the blind end of the vagina; the vault smear is used a means of identifying recurrent cervical cancer or the development of vaginal neoplasia..
Cytology is the exam of a single cell type, as often found in fluid specimens.
It's mainly used to diagnose or screen for cancer.
It's also used to screen for fetal abnormalities, for pap smears, to diagnose infectious organisms, and in other screening and diagnostic areas..
The vault smear test is similar to a Pap smear, but instead of collecting cells from the cervix, the medical professional collects cells from the upper part of the vagina..
In a nonhysterectomized woman, the vault, or apex, is located posterior and superior to the cervix (see the image below).
After a hysterectomy, the scar site assumes the position of the vaginal apex or vault..
current policy in the UK is to follow up with vaginal vault smears those women who have had a hysterectomy for high-grade preinvasive disease of the cervix besides VAIN, the only group of women appearing to be at increased risk of primary vaginal cancer are those whose mothers took diethylstilbestrol during pregnancy .
Vaginal vault smears are used to detect persisting neoplasia of the lower genital tract after hysterectomy.
Recent data suggest both widespread use and uncertain evidence of their effectiveness.
To identify and synthesise evidence on the use and effectiveness of vaginal vault smears and to assess the quality.
women who undergo hysterectomy and have completely excised CIN should have vaginal vault cytology at six and 18 months following their hysterectomy CIN 2/3:
Vault smears will not be prompted by a letter from the cytology recall service in the usual way.
It is the responsibility of the gynaecologist to arrange the vault smear.
