PURPOSE: to analyze the association between bacterial vaginosis (BV), high-risk HPV DNA, and Pap smear abnormalities in women submitted to diathermic conization for the treatment of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN 2 or 3). METHODS: a descriptive clinical study with 81 women submitted to diathermic conization for the treatment of CIN 2 or 3. Initial Pap smear was performed by the time of the biopsy and was also used to verify the presence of BV. Prior to conization, samples for the detection of high-risk HPV DNA through hybrid capture II (HC II) were collected. A control visit was scheduled for four months after the conization to repeat these tests. Twenty-seven women were found to have BV and 54 were not. Statistical analysis comprised odds ratios (OR) to assess the correlations between BV and HPV detection before and after diathermic conization and cytological abnormalities. All analyses were performed with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI). RESULTS: high-risk HPV DNA detection before conization was identical in both groups (89%). After conization, HPV DNA detection decreased to 26 and 18% in the groups with and without BV, respectively (OR=1.5; 95% CI 0.5 to 4.6). In addition, 41% of the women with BV and 20% without BV showed Pap smear abnormalities (OR=2.7; 95% CI 1.0 to 7.4). Regarding these 22 women with Pap smear abnormalities approximately four months after the diathermic conization, 83% of the BV group tested positive for HPV DNA compared with 50% in the group without BV (OR=5.0; IC 95% 0.5 a 52.9). CONCLUSION: women with BV presented more Pap smear abnormalities after conization when compared to the women without BV, although this was not statistically significant. This association was not related to high-risk HPV DNA.
Bacterial vaginosis; Papillomavirus; Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia; Cervix
