Pap smear

Pap smear definition - medical

Pap smear (păp)

noun
A screening test, especially for cervical cancer, in which a smear of cells exfoliated or scraped from the cervix or vagina is treated with Papanicolaou stain and examined under a microscope for pathological changes. Also called Papanicolaou smear, Papanicolaou test, Pap test.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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