The Polarprobe - emerging technology for cervical cancer screening

The Polarprobe is a portable non invasive electronic device designed for the detection of cervical precancer and cancer. It mea sures both electrical and optical properties of cervical tissue to allow a real time comparison with a databank of previously determined c ervical tissue types. The need for additional tests to augment or even replace the Papanicolaou smear has partly prompted its development. Ind eed it has been shown to be associated with less pain and anxiety than the smear and has the capability of encouraging women to attend for screening. Some of the preliminary clinical trials on the Polarprobe are reported as well as the ongoing developments and modifications to the device. Ann Acad Med Singapore 1998; 27:717-21