(ă-sē′-tō-hwīt″)
[Pronunciation]
[Fm. acetic + ″]

A means of examining a genital or anal lesion for the presence of human papillomavirus infection and atypical cells suggestive of cancer.
The lesion (e.g., an irregularity on the surface of the uterine cervix or a wart found on the penis) is coated with 5% acetic acid. The epithelium is then examined for a change in color (e.g., from pink or red to white). This color change in the presence of acetic acid suggests a pathologically significant lesion that may require biopsy or other intervention.