Atlas of visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid for screening, triage, and assessment for treatment / Activity 1

The outer surfaces of all the organs in the body are lined with a special type of tissue, known as epithelium. The cervix is lined with two different types of epithelium:

• Squamous epithelium, which primarily covers the ectocervix
• Columnar epithelium, which forms the lining of the endocervical canal.

The rest of the tissue of the cervix underlying the epithelium is called the cervical stroma. The stroma contains connective tissue and is rich in blood vessels.

The next sections describe in detail the two types of epithelium.