Help may now be at hand. Last week advisers to the Food and Drug Administration recommended approval of two computerized tests–Papnet and Autopath QC-that automatically identify the 100-or-so most distinctive cells on any smear, making them harder for technicians to miss. In early tests, Papnet has detected up to 92 percent of the abnormal smears previously misdiagnosed as normal. If approved, the new tests will enable labs to double-check any Pap smear for about $20–and to catch many potentially deadly errors.
