Conventional Pap Technique (CPT) in Comparison to the Modified Emergency Method (Mem) in Cytodiagnosis of Pap Smear and Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology Specimens.

Abstract

The generally acceptable staining technique for cytology is the Papanicolaou staining procedure; which has undergone different modifications over time. In this study, the modified technique is referred to as Modified emergency method (MEM). The study is designed to establish a superior and more improved qualitative staining technique that is simple and a cheap and rapid alternative for diagnosis of cytology specimens. 40 Pap smears from 20 patients (2 per subject) as well as 20 FNAC from 10 patients were collected in the months of March and April, 2013. One set of smears was stained by the conventional pap technique (CPT) while the other set by MEM. The results showed that cytoplasmic and nuclear staining were optimal in 99% of smears stained by MEM, while 95% of smears were optimal by CPT. The cost of production was reduced by 45% while the staining duration in MEM was 7 ± 0.5 as against 26 ± 0.5 minutes in CPT. Therefore, this study showed that MEM is relatively simple, cheaper and a more suitable rapid alternative for routine use with minimum cost.

Keywords: Polychromatic, Monochromatic, Optimal, Sub-optimal and Cytodiagnosis.