Journal of

Background and Aim: Evaluation for STIs requires speculum examination. It is sometimes uncomfortable and rejected by many patients. Speculum examination often is impractical or not available in remote areas. Recently, it is possible to omit the speculum examination and noninvasively diagnose for Chlamydia and gonorrheal infections from urine sample. This comparison study was conducted by collected vaginal specimens directly without performing a speculum examination for the diagnosis of trichomonas infections.The aim of this study was comparison of two methods of vaginal discharge collection with and without speculum examination for diagnosis of the trichomonas infection.

Materials and Methods: We examined 100 patients with vaginal discharge to the gynecology clinic of the Taleghani hospital. Two vaginal swab were collected from vaginal discharge of patients before and during speculum examination for diagnosis of trichomoniasis. Both of vaginal specimens were tested with blinded microscopic. Compared collection methods sensitivities, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of both methods was compared.

Results: Sensitivities, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of speculum collection methods were 69%, 99%, 92% ,94% and 93% for trichomoniasis respectively. Sensitivities, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of nonspeculum collection methods were 62.5%, 99%, 91%, 93% and 92% for trichomoniasis respectively. The differences between methods was not statistically significant (P= NS). There was a very good agreement between both methods for diagnosis of trichomoniasis (KAPPA= o.85).

Conclusions: We have demonstrated the benefit of  nonspeculum vaginal specimens for the diagnosis of trichomoniasis. This technique has applicability for studies involving the epidemiology of vaginal infection as well as for home diagnostic testing ,elder and pregnant women respectively.