ABSTRACT
Cervical smears taken from women referred for a check-up or with vaginal itching/discharge over a period of 3.5 years were reviewed at the King Hussein Medical Centre, Jordan. All smears were fixed with 96% alcohol, stained with Papanicolaou stain and screened microscopically. Of the smears from 1176 women aged 18-70 years, 4.5% were classified as inadequate, 7.7% were normal and 79.9% showed non-specific inflammation. Abnormal vaginal flora was found in 4.8% of cases, C and ida albicans in 1.2%, Trichomonas vaginalis in 0.9% and actinomycosis in 1 case. Dysphasic changes were rare: 9 cases [0.8%] were classified as atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance [ASCUS] and 2 cases [0.2%] were low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion [LSIL]. No cases of human papillomavirus infection [HPV] or cervical carcinoma were found