Q. What are the common terms used to describe simple infections with HPV and why do they need colposcopy?
A. Many different terms have been used over the years to describe benign HPV infections. These include: Low grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (LGCIN), CIN-1, low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), mild dysplasia or condyloma.The reason we care about these conditions is because we cannot reliably tell which of these conditions will go away by themselves and which have the potential to turn into cancer without doing a colposcopy and biopsy.
Below are categories of Pap test abnormalities in the Bethesda classification system that is used to report Pap test results along with the significance of the abnormality and the recommended management. It is important to recognize that the recommended management is for women over the age of 21. Almost all women under 21 should not have had a Pap test in the first place and so the management is different for Pap tests that are not normal in this age group.
| 
