Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic agreement between seven cervical/vaginal cytology laboratories participating in the first external quality assurance (EQA) scheme developed in Italy. STUDY DESIGN: Between 1991 and 1993, 110 cytologic smears were selected and classified by a committee and circulated and reported on by the laboratories according to the 1988 Bethesda System. Agreement was evaluated with the kappa statistic. Systematic disagreement was assessed by means of the Wilcoxon signed rank test. RESULTS: Interlaboratory kappa values varied between .01 and .29 (group score, .11) for sample adequacy and between .53 and .78 (group score, .67) for epithelial abnormalities. The lowest specific kappa values were observed for the three classes of sample adequacy (unsatisfactory, .07; less than optimal [LTO], .10; satisfactory [SAT], .14) and for the class of atypical cells of undetermined significance (ACUS), (.29). As compared with the study committee, 5/7 laboratories showed a systematic (P
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 480-488 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Acta Cytologica |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 1996 |
Keywords
- cervix neoplasms
- quality assurance, health care
- vaginal neoplasms
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Anatomy
- Cell Biology
- Histology