COMPARISON OF THE CYTORICH SYSTEM WITH CONVENTIONAL CERVICAL CYTOLOGY- PRELIMINARY DATA ON 2,032 CASES FROM A CLINICAL-TRIAL SITE

OBJECTIVE: To compare the CytoRich system with conventional cervical c ytology in a university medical center hospital laboratory. STUDY DESI GN: The CytoRich system combines liquid preservation, selective reduct ion of blood/inflammation, thin-layer preparation and discrete stainin g. Two thousand thirty-two parallel conventional and CytoRich samples were examined as part of a multicenter trial of the CytoRich/AutoCyte systems. Same-patient conventional and CytoRich slides were submitted to separate cytotechnologists blindly. The results were compared, and all nonmatching sample pairs were reviewed again. A consensus diagnosi s was derived for all cases. The initial readings of the CytoRich and conventional smears were compared with each other and with the consens us diagnosis. RESULTS: Of the 148 squamous intraepithelial lesions (SI Ls) found by either method, 85% were found by CytoRich, while only 58. 5% were found by conventional smear. As compared with the consensus di agnosis, CytoRich slides had 86.7% sensitivity for SIL and 99.1% speci ficity, while the conventional slides had 63.6% sensitivity and 99.7% specificity. Consensus review resulted in upgrading to SIL in 1.8% of conventional slides and 1.4% of CytoRich slides. The biopsy correlatio n results were similar for the two methods. CONCLUSION: The CytoRich s ystem affords excellent cellular presentations and superior sensitivit y for SILs when compared to the conventional technique.