SILVER STAINING METHOD FOR NUCLEOLAR ORGANIZER REGIONS IN CERVICAL SMEARS

The distribution of nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) was studied in Papanicolaou preparations of cervical smears in order to distinguish b enign from preneoplastic lesions. Destained smears (six defined as nor mal, six as inflammatory with squamous metaplasia, six as CIN I, six a s CIN II, and five as CIN III) were submitted to the Ag-NOR method aft er staining with Orange G and EA36. Ag-NOR count was performed in prev iously outlined fields on the smears. Statistically significant differ ences (P < .05) were found between the normal smears, inflammatory sme ars with squamous metaplasia, and each grade of CIN. We conclude that the Ag-NOR technique could be useful to evaluate cervical smears of do ubtful interpretation, using previous demarcation of the abnormal fiel ds/cells. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.