What is VIA Full Form in Medical?

The VIA full form in medical is Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid. VIA is an inexpensive, easy, and effective screening tool for detecting precancerous lesions. It is also capable of detecting early symptoms of cervical cancer. It is frequently used in low-resource settings as an alternative for pap smears and HPV testing. It requires little equipment and is affordable. It is also useful in resource-constrained environments. It is efficient at detecting obvious lesions, particularly in women aged 30-50 years.

Advantages of VIA in medical:

VIA is especially useful in low-resource settings because of its inexpensive cost, convenience of use, and quick findings, allowing for same-day diagnosis and therapy. Despite its advantages, VIA have limitations, including variable results due to subjective interpretation and decreased efficiency in detecting lesions deep within the cervical canal. It is critical in cervical cancer prevention initiatives, particularly in areas where modern diagnostic methods such as Pap smears or HPV testing are not widely available.

How is this procedure done?

During this process, a healthcare provider applies a diluted acetic acid solution of strength 3-5% to the cervix and inspects it under proper lighting. Within 1-2 minutes, aberrant spots turn white, a reaction known as acetowhitening, indicating precancerous or cancerous alterations. VIA helps to reduce cervical cancer incidence and mortality worldwide by allowing for early detection and appropriate care.