ABSTRACT
The rate of disappearance of parabasal cells under estrogens and their reappearance following the cessation of treatment was studied in 22 patients. In ten patients with complete atrophic cell type, parabasal cells disappeared within 6 to 15 days under the influence of estradiol dipropionate (1-0.5-0.05 mg. daily for five days). In these patients parabasal cells reappeared promptly (within 20 days) after discontinuation of estrogen administration. In 12 patients receiving replacement therapy for long periods of time (2 to 10 years) there was a marked variability (10 days to 8 months) in the rate of reappearance of parabasal cells after cessation of treatment. These findings document the sensitivity and reliability of the atrophic cell type as an index of estrogen lack in the organism.
Subject(s)
Amenorrhea/pathology , Estradiol/therapeutic use , Ovarian Diseases/pathology , Vagina/pathology , Adolescent , Adult , Amenorrhea/drug therapy , Atrophy , Estradiol/administration & dosage , Female , Humans , Ovarian Diseases/drug therapy , Time Factors , Vaginal SmearsABSTRACT
The diagnostic significance of parabasal cells was investigated by studying the correlation of their presence in the smears with the clinical diagnosis of the patients. Out of a total of 2,193 patients examined for various endocrine disorders during a period of seven years, parabasal cells were found in 209 patients of the reproductive years. In all these patients the presence of parabasal cells in the smears was related with two endocrine states: a) either the complete absence of estrogens (173 patients or 82.7 percent), or b) the presence of excess amounts of androgens (36 patients or 17.3 percent). In both instances the cytologic findings indicated accurately the severeness of the underlying endocrine disturbance which had necessitated a battery of laboratory tests and assays to be established.
