Using an age-sex register

A study of practices using an age-sex register suggested that more use could be made of registers, especially in preventive medicine. Difficulties in creating and maintaining the register, as well as analysing it, discourage many practices. Those who make full use of their register obtain great benefit from it.     

The cost and advantages of establishing an age-sex register

The advantages and disadvantages of different methods of creating an age-sex register are described. The cost of setting up such a register in a NHS practice with 10,000 patients is shown, and it is suggested that financial advantages may cover the costs involved.     

Patient movements and the accuracy of the age-sex register

This longitudinal study assessed the effects of patient movements on the accuracy of the age-sex register. For one year all patient movements into and out of five teaching practices were monitored and the ways in which inflation and deflation of the register can occur were identified and measured. Inflation has a greater influence than deflation on the accuracy of the register because:

1. Practices can readily identify all new patients as they register and can include them in the age-sex register, but only a minority of patients (23.5 per cent) can be identified when they move away.

2. The time interval between leaving a practice and registering with a new one is much shorter than that between leaving a practice and the practice becoming aware of the fact.

Recommendations are made about how to make the register as accurate as possible.

     

The reliability and validity of the age-sex register as a population denominator in general practice

I report evidence which raises doubts about the reliability and validity of age-sex registers as true population denominators in general practice in the UK. These have potentially disturbing implications for the interpretation of data based on the presumed precision of age-sex registers. I am undertaking a prospective study to identify and quantify sources of inaccuracy to try to establish a method of estimating the true population at risk and its true age-sex characteristics. This would greatly enhance the utility of the age-sex register as the most valuable tool in general-practice research.     

Quality control in cervical cytology

From surveys conducted by the authors it is concluded that the best and most acceptable quality control methods in cytology are those from within the laboratory. Most of these have results which can be reported centrally. Where the overall control and codes of practice are high, there the results are the most reliable, as sources of error from whatever cause are quickly brought to light. These conclusions are illustrated by data from the five centres and correlated in the tables.     

Study of a manual method of liquid-based cervical cytology

We report a study of a manual liquid-based cytology (MLBC) method. Slides are prepared by using a polymer solution and allowing it to dry, forming a membrane. The aims of the study were to prepare cervical cytology smears using the manual method, observe morphology, compare with direct scrape smears and correlate with histopathology wherever possible. Out of 105 cases, the membrane was intact, indicating a good MLBC preparation, in 97 cases. Simultaneous conventional smears were taken in 81 patients. There was an 88.8% agreement in the diagnoses of general category in both groups. The diagnosis of negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy (NILM) in both groups was made in 70 cases. The MLBC preparation was unsatisfactory in two cases which showed high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion and low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, respectively, on the conventional smear. One MLBC smear diagnosed as atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance was reported as NILM on conventional smear. Cytohistologic correlation was done in nine cases, all of which showed cervicitis on histopathology. The MLBC method was found to be comparable to the conventional scrape smear. Further study of this method as a cost-effective alternative to the mechanized methods would be worthwhile.     

液基细胞学联合DNA定量细胞学在筛查宫颈病变中的应用价值

目的探讨宫颈液基细胞学和DNA定量细胞学在宫颈癌前病变及宫颈癌诊断中的应用价值。方法对2156例患者进行宫颈液基细胞学和DNA定量细胞学检查,对其中221例液基细胞学和（或）DNA定量分析阳性者行宫颈活检,以活检结果为金标准,比较两种方法的检测结果及DNA定量细胞学对ASCUS患者的分流作用。结果1．液基细胞学以≥ASCUS,DNA定量细胞学以可见DNA倍体异常细胞作为活检标准及联合两种方法检测,活检结果以CINI及以上病理改变作为阳性结果,其敏感度、特异度、阳性预测值、阴性预测值分别为69．77％、77．52％和89．15％,38．04％、48．91％和84．09％,61．22％、63．69％和86．47％,47．30％、60．81％和84．09％。2．TCT与DNA定量细胞学检测方法灵敏度及特异度对比,均无统计学意义（P〉0．05）;TCT联合应用DNA定量细胞学与单独应用TCT检测方法灵敏度及特异度对比,均有统计学意义（P〈0．01）;TCT联合应用DNA定量细胞学与单独应用DNA定量细胞学检测方法灵敏度对比,无统计学意义（P〉0．05）,特异度对比,有统计学意义（P〈0．01）。3．ASCUS患者宫颈病变的检出率为56．25％。ASCUS患者以DNA定量细胞学作为分流方法：阳性组检出率为74．00％,阴性组检出率为26．67％,两组检出率对比,有高度统计学差异（P〈0．01）;DNA定量细胞学阳性组与ASCUS患者未分流前检出率对比,有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。结论DNA定量分析方法与液基薄层细胞学联合筛查,可提高宫颈癌前病变及宫颈癌筛查的敏感度和特异度,对于细胞学检测为ASCUS的人群有分流作用。