COMBINED USE OF THE SCRATCH AND SMEAR SAMPLING TECHNIQUE AND ULTRAFAST PAPANICOLAOU STAIN FOR INTRAOPERATIVE CYTOLOGY

OBJECTIVE: To assess the applicability of Ultrafast Papanicolaou stain (UFP), a 90-second, high-resolution stain incorporating the air-dried rehydration technique, to intraoperative cytology in surgical patholo gy laboratories. STUDY DESIGN: Two hundred sixty-two randomly selected surgical specimens for intraoperative consultations were included in the study. Each specimen was first conventionally prepared by touch im printing, wet fixation in alcohol and staining by hematoxylin and eosi n (H&E); the remaining specimens were then sampled by the ''scratch an ti smear'' technique and subjected to the UFP staining protocol. RESUL TS: The combined use of the scratch and smear sampling technique and U FP staining was superior to the conventional methods of touch imprinti ng and H&E staining in every case because of the following features: ( 1) intact tissue fragments composed of both epithelial and stromal ele ments rather than epithelial cells only, (2) polychromasia rather than bichromasia, (3) sharper nuclear and cytoplasmic details, (4) histolo gic criteria applicable to thick tissue fragments due to transparency and flatness and (5) clear background devoid of red blood cells and eo sin. CONCLUSION: The combined use of the ''scratch and smear'' samplin g technique and UFP enhances intraoperative cytology.