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Unlabelled: To evaluate the performance of initial cervical cytology and that collected at the reference service with a review conducted by different observers and techniques, as well as hybrid capture II, in the diagnosis of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), 105 women attended from August 2000 to June 2001 for preneoplastic atypia upon cervical cytology were included. A new cervical cytology and hybrid capture II for DNA-HPV were conducted in all the patients. Cervical biopsies were taken in 91 women. Performance of the investigative procedures was described by estimating the sensitivity, specificity, and positive likelihood ratio (PLR), with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI), considering histological diagnosis the gold standard., Results: initial cervical cytology showed sensitivity and specificity of 57% and 82% for diagnosis of CIN grades 2 and 3, with a PLR of 3.2 (95% CI: 1.5-6.8). Referral cervical cytology showed a sensitivity and specificity for CIN 2 and 3 of 79% and 84%, respectively, with a PLR of 5.0 (95% CI: 2.5-10.0). Sensitivity (86%), specificity (80%), and PLR (4.3) were similar when a second observer (using a routine technique) reviewed the slide. Using rapid revision by a third observer, the sensitivity was significantly lower (64%). Hybrid capture II showed a high sensitivity (100%), low specificity (43%), and low PLR (1.7, 95% CI: 1.4-2.2).