A doctor or other health
care worker usually can diagnose genital warts by seeing them on a
patient. Women with genital warts also should be examined for
possible HPV infection of the cervix.
The doctor may be able
to identify some otherwise invisible warts in the genital tissue by
applying vinegar (acetic acid) to areas of suspected infection. This
solution causes infected areas to whiten, which makes them more
visible, particularly if a procedure called colposcopy is performed.
During colposcopy, the doctor uses a magnifying instrument to look
at the vagina and cervix. In some cases, the doctor takes a small
piece of tissue from the cervix and examines it under the
microscope.
A Pap smear test also may indicate the possible
presence of cervical HPV infection. In a Pap smear, a laboratory
worker examines cells scraped from the cervix under a microscope to
see if they are cancerous. If a woman’s Pap smear is abnormal, she
might have an HPV infection. If a woman has an abnormal Pap smear,
she should have her doctor examine her further to look for and treat
any cervical problems.
(Source: excerpt from Human Papillomavirus and Genital Warts, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)
The following medical news items are relevant to diagnosis and misdiagnosis issues for Genital warts:
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about diagnostis of Genital warts.
Dark-field examination of scrapings from wart cells shows marked vascularization of epidermal cells, which helps to differentiate genital warts from condylomata lata associated with second-stage syphilis. Applying 5% acetic acid (white vinegar) to the warts turns them white. Warts usually are diagnosed early by visual inspection; biopsy is indicated only when neoplasia is strongly suspected.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Anal warts require anoscopy or sigmoidoscopy to rule out internal involvement, which may necessitate surgery. Women with vulvar lesions require examination of the vagina and cervix, including a Papanicolaou smear.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
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