Pap Smear

Pap Test; Pap Test / Pap Smear

A pap smear (also called Pap test and smear test) is a medical screening test for detecting pre-cancerous changes (termed dyskaryosis derived from Greek, meaning 'bad-nut') and thus aims to prevent the development of cancer and other abnormalities in the female genital tract by sampling cells from the cervix with an Aylesbury spatula or (more frequently with the advent of liquid-based cytology) a plastic-fronded broom. The cells are placed on a glass slide and checked for abnormalities in th ...