Abstract
Effusions or body cavity fluids are amongst the most commonly submitted samples to the cytology laboratory. Knowledge of proper collection, storage, preservation and processing techniques is essential to ensure proper handling and successful analysis of the sample. This article describes how the effusions should be collected and proper conditions for submission. The different processing techniques to extract the cellular material and prepare slides satisfactory for microscopic evaluation are described such as direct smears, cytospins, liquid based preparations and cell blocks. The article further elaborates on handling the specimens for additional ancillary testing such as immunostaining and molecular tests, including predictive ones, as well as future research approaches.
Highlights
Effusions or body cavity fluids are amongst the most commonly submitted samples to the cytology laboratory
The different processing techniques to extract the cellular material and prepare slides satisfactory for microscopic evaluation are described such as direct smears, cytospins, liquid based preparations and cell blocks
This article provides a review of the literature and the recommendations of the authors regarding the pre-analytical phase of body fluids for the cytology laboratory including the collection and handling, laboratory triage of specimen, specimen processing for routine examination and for ancillary testing
Summary
Many laboratories include a concentration technique to harvest the cells such as cytospins, Millipore filters and LBP as well as a cell block (CB) These preps can be either air dried and stained by the Romanowsky stain, or ethanol fixed and stained by the Papanicolaou method. Many studies evaluated these processing techniques seeking to find the best methodology and combination. Based on these studies, it is recommended to use a combination of techniques such as air dried and fixed smears along with a concentration method to achieve highest sensitivity [12, 13]. Data is not sufficient to comment on the SP method
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