However, it is unclear whether these tests are primarily picking up more low-grade abnormalities, which may not be a cause for alarm, or more serious ones, according to Solomon. The conventional Pap smear, which involves smearing of cervical cells on a glass slide to be sent to a laboratory and examined under a microscope, has its own limitations, experts say. The slide sample may not contain enough cervical cells to include abnormal cells, or abnormal cells may not be detected. As a result, the test could turn out to be a false negative, when results may appear normal, but the woman has a lesion. Or, results could turn out to be a false positive, where results appear abnormal, but aren't.
Results can also be ambiguous, where it's unclear what the cell changes means.
The newer technologies, such as computer-assisted screenings, can provide a backup for the human examination of a conventional Pap smear. People often assume technology is foolproof, but we have to understand the limitations of each testing method. The way of reporting Pap test results has sometimes been confusing. Most low-grade changes disappear on their own. However, we don't know which ones may be associated with a high-grade lesion and that underscores the importance of follow up.