Cervicography
Encyclopedia
Cervicography is a diagnostic medical procedure in which a non-physician takes pictures of the cervix
and submits them to a physician for interpretation. Other related procedures are speculoscopy
and colposcopy
. The procedure is considered a screening test for cervical cancer
and is complementary to Pap smear
. The technique was initially developed by Adolf Stafl, MD, of Medical College of Wisconsin in 1981.
Unlike colposcopy, cervicography does not have a current CPT
/HCPCS
code and typically is not covered by most medical insurance companies. (Cervicography was given a Category III CPT code of 0003T, but this was discontinued in 2006.)
Cervicography is no more sensitive than Pap smear screening, and has a higher false positive rate (thus increasing the number of colposcopies needed).
Whether cervicography could have a role in countries where Pap smear screening programs are not in place depends on cost effectiveness and remained to be determined as of 1998. A 2005 study found the sensitivity and specificity of cervicography for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
to be 72.3% and 93.2% respectively; however, a 2007 study criticized the sensitivity figure as "likely... inflated" because the "gold standard" of colposcopy/biopsy may have missed cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.
Cervix
The cervix is the lower, narrow portion of the uterus where it joins with the top end of the vagina. It is cylindrical or conical in shape and protrudes through the upper anterior vaginal wall...
and submits them to a physician for interpretation. Other related procedures are speculoscopy
Speculoscopy
Speculoscopy is a procedure in which a special blue-white light is used to examine the cervix for cancerous or pre-cancerous lesions....
and colposcopy
Colposcopy
Colposcopy is a medical diagnostic procedure to examine an illuminated, magnified view of the cervix and the tissues of the vagina and vulva. Many premalignant lesions and malignant lesions in these areas have discernible characteristics which can be detected through the examination...
. The procedure is considered a screening test for cervical cancer
Cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is malignant neoplasm of the cervix uteri or cervical area. One of the most common symptoms is abnormal vaginal bleeding, but in some cases there may be no obvious symptoms until the cancer is in its advanced stages...
and is complementary to Pap smear
Pap smear
The Papanicolaou test is a screening test used in to detect pre-cancerous and cancerous processes in the endocervical canal of the female reproductive system. Changes can be treated, thus preventing cervical cancer...
. The technique was initially developed by Adolf Stafl, MD, of Medical College of Wisconsin in 1981.
Unlike colposcopy, cervicography does not have a current CPT
Current Procedural Terminology
The Current Procedural Terminology code set is maintained by the American Medical Association through the CPT Editorial Panel. The CPT code set describes medical, surgical, and diagnostic services and is designed to communicate uniform information about medical services and procedures among...
/HCPCS
Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System
The Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System is a set of health care procedure codes based on the American Medical Association's Current Procedural Terminology .-History:...
code and typically is not covered by most medical insurance companies. (Cervicography was given a Category III CPT code of 0003T, but this was discontinued in 2006.)
Cervicography is no more sensitive than Pap smear screening, and has a higher false positive rate (thus increasing the number of colposcopies needed).
Whether cervicography could have a role in countries where Pap smear screening programs are not in place depends on cost effectiveness and remained to be determined as of 1998. A 2005 study found the sensitivity and specificity of cervicography for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia , also known as cervical dysplasia and cervical interstitial neoplasia, is the potentially premalignant transformation and abnormal growth of squamous cells on the surface of the cervix. CIN is not cancer, and is usually curable...
to be 72.3% and 93.2% respectively; however, a 2007 study criticized the sensitivity figure as "likely... inflated" because the "gold standard" of colposcopy/biopsy may have missed cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.