High risk human papillomavirus in women with normal cervical cytology prior to the development of abnormal cytology and colposcopy *E. H. Hopman Research Fellow, **L. Rozendaal Research Fellow, tF. J. Voorhorst Epidemiologist,

study the significance of the presence high risk human papillomavirus (HPV) in women with initially normal cervical cytology for the development of abnormal cytology and an abnormal colposcopic impression. Design Prospective, observational study Participants and methods Sixty-eight women with cytomorphologically normal smears and at least one positive HPV test result were evaluated every six months by cytology, colposcopy and HPV test- ing. The endpoint of the study was abnormal cervical cytology.