How to self-examine cervical warts

The occurrence of cervical warts can cause serious harm to patients, so we must actively treat them. Cervical warts are a common infectious disease. If not treated in time, it will lead to serious consequences. So what are the inspection methods for cervical warts? The following is a detailed introduction for everyone.

1. Cytological examination

It is mainly used to check whether the female vaginal or cervical epithelium is infected with HPV. Cells are scraped from the examined area and smeared on a glass slide, fixed with alcohol; the Papanicolaou staining method is commonly used, and the microscopic findings are divided into five levels: Level I is normal; Level II is inflammation; Level III is suspected cancer; Level IV is highly suspected cancer; Level V is cancer. Level II is further divided into IIa and IIb. IIa is an inflammatory cell; IIb contains a few mildly heterogeneous cells in addition to inflammatory cells. Cases with smears showing IIb should be followed up and checked regularly. To determine whether there is HPV infection, specific anti-HPV antibodies are required for histochemical staining or in situ hybridization technology.

2. Colposcopy

A colposcope is a special magnifying glass, which is mainly used to observe the cervical vaginal mucosa and can be used to examine the vulva and vaginal epithelium. A colposcope can magnify the cervix by 20 to 40 times, which is very helpful for the early detection and diagnosis of subclinical infection of the cervical epithelium and precancerous lesions. Patients should avoid vaginal douching and sexual intercourse within 24 hours before the examination. Applying gauze soaked in acetic acid solution to the cervix for 3 minutes and then examining with a colposcopy will help detect subclinical infection of HPV. For white patches or spots with clear boundaries, further samples should be taken for histopathological examination. Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) can be divided into 3 grades.

3. Polymerase chain reaction

Take samples of diseased tissue or suspicious parts, extract DNA, and use specific primers to amplify the target DNA. The primers can be universal primers for HPV or specific primers for a certain type. However, this method has high sensitivity and strong specificity, but it should be carried out in a laboratory approved or certified by relevant institutions.