TY - JOUR T1 - Lubrication of the vaginal introitus and external speculum had no effect on Papanicolaou smear interpretation JF - Evidence Based Medicine JO - Evid Based Med SP - 79 LP - 79 DO - 10.1136/ebm.8.3.79 VL - 8 IS - 3 A2 - , Y1 - 2003/05/01 UR - http://ebm.bmj.com/content/8/3/79.abstract N2 - (2002) Obstet Gynecol 100, 887. Harer WB, Jr, Valenzuela G, Lebo D.. Lubrication of the vaginal introitus and speculum does not affect Papanicolaou smears.. ;. :. –8.OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
 
 QUESTION: In women having Papanicolaou smears, does lubrication of the vaginal introitus and external speculum affect cervical cytology results? Randomised (allocation concealed*), blinded (outcome assessors),* controlled trial. Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Women’s Health Clinic, Colton, California, USA. 182 women (mean age 35 y) who presented to the clinic for Papanicolaou smears. Patients with known untreated cervical cancer or active bleeding were excluded. All patients were included in the analysis. Patients were allocated to 2–3 cc surgilube (water soluble lubricant) on the gloved fingers before insertion of an externally lubricated speculum (n=93) or no lubricant other than water on the speculum (n=89). The main outcome measure was an unsatisfactory Papanicolaou smear result. The groups did not differ for the … ER -