Abstract
Background: Preparation of conventional smear is simpler and less time bound but it has many disadvantages causing difficulties in definitive diagnosis in fine needle aspiration materials and fluids. But cell block techniques are particularly useful in positive for malignancy and suspicious of malignancy cases. Once diagnosed as malignant in cell blocks, this can be taken as definitive diagnosis as a biopsy specimen. This helps in early diagnosis, treatment and better prognosis of patient. But cell block has minor disadvantages too e.g. needs more material and time.
Aim: To study cell block preparation of all the body fluids with conventional cytology smear.
Material and methods: This prospective study conducted in Meenakshi Medical College and Research Institute, a tertiary care hospital which includes fresh body fluids and urine samples of 80 patients with relevant clinical details of both sexes and all ages. Very scanty fluid samples were rejected. Samples were processed on both cell block technique and conventional smear method. For cell block preparation agar gel method was used with 10% buffered formalin used for fixation.
Results: 80 body fluid specimens obtained and evaluated on cell block and conventional smear method, of which ascitic fluid was 16%, Pleural fluid was 13%, peritoneal fluid was 18% and other body fluids were 51%. Most of the patients were in age group of 41 to 60 years. Conventional smear preparation showed accuracy of 75% and cell block technique showed 92% accuracy.
Conclusion: Cell block along with conventional smear increases the accuracy of cytology fluid diagnosis. Cell block techniques provide higher cellularity, better tissue architecture, patterns of malignant cells and use of immunohistochemistry to identify primary site of malignancy over conventional smear method.
Keywords: Cell block, conventional smear, Agar-gel method of cell block preparation
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Corresponding Author
M. Shanmugapriya
Associate professor, Department of Pathology, Meenakshi Medical College and Research Institute, Kanchipuram, 631552, Tamilnadu, India
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v6i9.82
