Cervical dysplasia is the development of abnormal cells in the top layers of the cervix, the part of the uterus that connects to the vagina. There are a number of different types of dysplasia, some caused by infection with human papillomavirus while others are not. Cervical dysplasia can be detected by a pap smear, in which case the pap smear has an "abnormal" result.
Definitions
Types of cervical dysplasia are labeled cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and are graded on a scale of 1 to 3 based on what percentage of the tested cells show abnormality (dysplasia), according to Medline Plus. CIN 1 means one-third of the cells collected from the lower part of the top layer of the cervix are affected; in CIN 2, two-thirds of the tested cells are affected. In CIN 3, all of the tested cells show dysplasia.
Types
Squamous intraepithelial lesions, a type of abnormality in cervical cells, are compared against the scale of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. These may be either low grade, meaning that the changes are very early and not yet precancerous, or high grade, meaning they could become cancerous, according to Medline Plus.
Identification
Cervical dysplasia can be identified by pap tests (also called smears), a type of examination of cells of the cervix. A number of different types of abnormality can be detected by pap smears, including mild and severe abnormalities.
Considerations
Follow-up testing is often necessary to determine what has triggered an abnormal pap smear result. This may include another pap smear, HPV testing, colposcopy (a specialized type of visual examination of the cervix) or endocervical curettage, a test in which some cells of the cervix are scraped away for further examination, according to WomensHealth.gov.
Effects
An abnormal result on a pap smear may or may not indicate the presence of cancerous or precancerous cells, depending on the specific result, according to the National Cancer Institute. According to WomensHealth.gov, most abnormal pap smear results do not indicate the presence of cancer.
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