Hi everyone, this is my third post. In this post, i am going to talk about processing of the gynaecology specimens in cytology lab.
Basically, the gynae specimens come in two forms, Thin Prep vials or conventional smears. The thin prep vials contain preservcyt solution which is basically a methanol-based medium. The purpose is to preserve the cells to allow proper evaluation under microscope.
Collection of specimen
1)Specimen is collected with a spatula or a cytobrush
2)It is rinsed immediately in the presercyt solution
3)The vial will be capped tightly and labeled with the patient information before being set to the lab
In the lab
1)Once specimen is received, the patient information on the form must be double check with that on the vial and thin prep number is assigned to both of them(eg.0983)
2)The vials are then taken into the processing room to be processed by the Thin Prep 2000
3)Thin prep slides are labeled with the thin prep number and the patient's ID
4)The slide is first inserted into the slide holder
5)This is then followed by putting in the fixative vial which contains 95% ethanol
6)Specimen vial is inserted next followed by slotting in the filter
7)Press program '4'to process the gynae specimens
After processing
1)Once processing is done, the slide holder will drop the slides into the fixative vial
2)The slides in the fixative vial will be left aside for around 15 minutes to adequately fix the cells before staining
3)The stain used is papanicolaou stain which is bascially carried out by the machine
4)Slides are then manually mounted using Depex
Things to take note
1)The slides must be adequately fixed before undergoing staining so as to prevent cells from dropping during that process
2)The specimen vial must always be placed into the Thinprep 2000 before the filter to prevent the filter membrane from being scratched
3)At the end of the day, make sure that grease is applied onto the black rings of the filter cap so as to reduce friction
That is the end of my post, which is generally an overview of how processing of thinprep specimens are carried out. Questions are welcome. :)
zi shuang
0703383J
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ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteWhat is the papanicolaou stain used to detect? Is it used to detect for abnormalities?
Liyana
0703827F
Hi liyana,
ReplyDeleteBasically pap stain consists of 3 types of stain, haematoxylin, orange G and eosin azure.
these 3 types of stain are used to stain different parts of the cell.
Haematoxylin as we all know stains the nuclei blue or purple. This is bascially to differentiate the nucleus from the cytoplasm.
orange G stains the keratin mainly. This is important in the evaluation of cells in cytology as it helps to determine the degree of maturation of the keratin. For example in gynecology specimens,there are 3 main types of squamous cells present, namely superficial, intermediate and parabasal squamous cells. Superficial cells have the most mature keratin, thus it will stain orange. As intermediate and parabasal squamous cells' keratin are less mature, it will be blue or green in colour. This helps to determine/ evaluate the condition of the patient.
Say for example, if all three types of cells appear to be present under microscope, it can mean that the patient is undergoing post menopausal. This is because under this condition, there will be a lack of estrogen stimulation where it leads to immature epithelia.
Eosin azure basically is a counterstain to stain for eg. nucleoli or any red blood cells present, where the latter can also indicate any internal bleeding in the female genital tract.
Hope it clarifies your doubt :)
zi shuang
hello zi shuang.
ReplyDeletewess here.
you mentioned that there are 2 methods of collecting gynaecological specimens. - vial and smear.
for vial, after collection is done, it is capped tightly. i was wondering, capping would be for? minimal exposure to air? or to prevent spillage of specimen?
and i need clarification for my doubts.
after collection in a vial, the specimen is then transferred to a slide in ThinPrep? if so, why don't just collect as smear?
and what is Depex? is it a solid holder? or a mordant?
hi zi shuang
ReplyDeletewhat is a persercyt solution?s it used for?
nyzah
0702888I
Hi Wess
ReplyDeleteCapping is basically to prevent spillage. Because the cells are already in the solution, spillage means that the patient have to come for the whole procedure again and we wanted to avoid that.
Basically, there are pros and cons between using vials and smears.
when we process specimen vials using the thinprep processor, one advantage is that it will concentrate the cells in one circle area, where you will not have to screen the whole slide to make sure that you do not miss out anything, unlike using smears.
Because smearing involves 'dragging' the cells through the slide, there will be areas where the cells exhibit the same characteristics, thus, better evaluation can be made.
Overall, the specimen vial method is now more common as it is much more convenient. However, there are still some places which uses conventional method, depending on the availability of resources.
Depex is bascially a xylene-based mounting medium. Its function is basically to maintain the refractive index and to protect the section from damage. However, i don't think it is a mordant as it is not a metallic salt.
Thanks for your question :)
Hey nyzah,
ReplyDeletePreservcyt solution is basically methanol. It is used to preserve the cells in terms of nuclear morphology and other cellular details. :)