The list of medical tests mentioned in various sources as used in the diagnosis of Human Papillomavirus includes:
Most women are diagnosed with HPV on the basis of abnormal Pap smears. Pap smears are the primary screening tool for cervical cancer or pre-cancerous conditions, many of which are cell changes related to HPV. Current HPV tests are fairly sophisticated and expensive and are commercially available for women with an abnormal Pap smear. They cannot identify which HPV infections will lead to cervical cancer or pre-cancerous conditions. Research is underway to determine the role of HPV tests for cervical cancer screening. (Source: excerpt from HPV: DSTD)
A doctor or other health
care worker usually can diagnose genital warts by seeing them on a
patient. Women with genital warts also should be examined for
possible HPV infection of the cervix.
The doctor may be able
to identify some otherwise invisible warts in the genital tissue by
applying vinegar (acetic acid) to areas of suspected infection. This
solution causes infected areas to whiten, which makes them more
visible, particularly if a procedure called colposcopy is performed.
During colposcopy, the doctor uses a magnifying instrument to look
at the vagina and cervix. In some cases, the doctor takes a small
piece of tissue from the cervix and examines it under the
microscope.
A Pap smear test also may indicate the possible
presence of cervical HPV infection. In a Pap smear, a laboratory
worker examines cells scraped from the cervix under a microscope to
see if they are cancerous. If a woman’s Pap smear is abnormal, she
might have an HPV infection. If a woman has an abnormal Pap smear,
she should have her doctor examine her further to look for and treat
any cervical problems.
(Source: excerpt from Human Papillomavirus and Genital Warts, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)
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A cytologic examination (Papanicolaou [Pap] smear) can detect cervical cancer before clinical evidence appears. (Systems of Pap smear classification may vary from facility to facility.) Abnormal cervical cytology routinely calls for colposcopy, which can detect the presence and extent of preclinical lesions requiring biopsy and histologic examination. Staining may identify areas for biopsy when the smear shows abnormal cells but there's no obvious lesion. Although the tests are nonspecific, they do distinguish between normal and abnormal tissues. Normal tissues absorb the iodine and turn brown; abnormal tissues are devoid of glycogen and won't change color. Additional studies, such as lymphangiography, cystography, and scans, can detect metastasis. (See Staging cervical cancer, page 110.)
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
A cytologic examination (Papanicolaou [Pap] test) can be used to detect cervical cancer before symptoms appear. Abnormal cervical cytology generally calls for colposcopy, which can detect the presence and extent of preclinical lesions requiring a biopsy and histologic examination.
Staining with Lugol’s solution (strong iodine) or Schiller’s solution (iodine, potassium iodide, and purified water) may identify areas for a biopsy when the smear shows abnormal cells but there is no obvious lesion. Although the tests are nonspecific and have a high rate of false-positives, they do distinguish between normal and abnormal tissues: Normal tissues absorb the iodine and turn brown; abnormal tissues are devoid of glycogen and don’t change color.
Additional studies — such as cystography, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography and bone scans — can be used to detect metastasis.
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
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