Two large studies have documented the low risk for cytology abnormalities after hysterectomy
A cross-sectional study of more than 5000 cytology tests among women older than 50 years found that identification of vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia and cancer was rare in this age group after hysterectomy. 63 In a second study of more than 10,000 Pap tests performed over 2 years in 6265 women who had a hysterectomy with removal of the cervix, screening yielded 104 abnormal Pap test results and no cases of cervical cancer; in addition, 6 cases of high-grade vaginal lesions were detected, but it is not known whether detection of these cases improved clinical outcomes. 64