title: Utility of rapid staining of fine needle aspiration smears at the University Hospital of the West Indies.
abstract: In a prospective study at the University Hospital of the West Indies, 187 fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) specimens, comprising 100 breast, 75 head and neck, and 12 miscellaneous specimens, were subjected to rapid Papanicolaou staining and immediate assessment. Inadequate aspirates were repeated, and all cases were also evaluated after routine Papanicolaou staining. Histologic and clinical follow-up data were obtained. The overall concordance between rapid and routine cytologic diagnoses ranged from 79% to 87% for the three specimen cohorts. Sensitivity and specificity values were similar for rapid and routine-stained slides and ranged from 80% to 100%. There were no false positive or false negative diagnoses in the cases for which the outcome was known. Rapid staining of cytologic smears is a useful adjunct to the evaluation of aspirated material, improving adequacy rates and overall performance of the FNAC service, and should also result in significant savings in time and cost to patients.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute, University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Jamaica, West Indies. seshirley@cwjamaica.com
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Shirley
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Escoffery
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Hay
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sutherland
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gray
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D003581:Cytodiagnosis; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014900:West Indies