Correlation of histopathologic follow-up findings with vaginal human papillomavirus and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion Papanicolaou test results.

CONTEXT: Data on high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) DNA test results in vaginal, liquid-based cytology (LBC) specimens and corresponding cytologic and histopathologic correlation data are limited.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze follow-up correlation data associated with vaginal (after hysterectomy) low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) LBC and hrHPV test results.

DESIGN: Hospital records were searched for vaginal LSIL LBC and hrHPV results between July 1, 2005, and July 30, 2009. Histopathologic and Papanicolaou test follow-up correlation data were analyzed.

RESULTS: During the study period, 2892 patients with test results from both posthysterectomy vaginal LBC and hrHPV were identified: 148 (5.1%) of the patients had vaginal Papanicolaou test results reported as LSIL, with hrHPV detected in 113 of the 148 patients (76.4%). Of 148 patients, 59 of those with vaginal LSIL including 48 (81.4%) with positive HPV testing and 11 (18.6%) with negative HPV testing results had a follow-up vaginal biopsy. Histopathologic vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN) 2/3 was diagnosed in 7 of 59 patients (11.9%) with biopsies. In all 7 patients who were diagnosed with VAIN 2/3, hrHPV was detected in the LBC vial. No VAIN 2/3 diagnoses were documented in the biopsy specimens from the 11 patients with hrHPV(-) LSIL Papanicolaou test results. Histopathologic VAIN 2/3 was diagnosed from vaginal biopsies in 7 of the 48 patients (14.6%) with vaginal hrHPV(+) LSIL test results.

CONCLUSIONS: Sensitivity and specificity of hrHPV test results associated with histopathologic follow-up diagnoses of VAIN 2/3 in patients with vaginal LSIL results were 100% and 21.2%, respectively. The positive predictive value of a vaginal hrHPV(+) LSIL result for a subsequent histopathologic VAIN 2/3 diagnosis was 14.6%. No cases of VAIN 2/3 were diagnosed in the 11 patients with vaginal hrHPV(-) LSIL results. Correlations of vaginal cytologic, histopathologic, and human papillomavirus findings were quite similar to correlation findings previously reported in older women with cervical LSIL test results.