Pap smear (Papanicolau smear) is a procedure that involves swabbing the endocervix (inner part of the cervix), ectocervix (outer part of the cervix), and the vaginal walls. This smear will then be fixed and then viewed through a microscope to check for atypical cells (or cancer cells). Pap smear has a 95% sensitivity so pap smear can detect cervical carcinoma 95% of the time.
