title: Cotton block method: one-step method of cell block preparation after fine needle aspiration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the cotton block method, an easy, inexpensive, 1-step method of obtaining a cell block after fine needle aspiration biopsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Before connection to a 10-mL syringe, the plastic hub of a 22-23-gauge needle is filled with the 3-4-mm, woolly tip of a cotton bud. Aspiration is performed as described elsewhere. After smear preparation, the material remaining in the needle and the material retained in the cotton wool mesh are immediately fixed by aspiration ofa fixative fluid (70% alcoholic formaldehyde-acetic acid). After fixation, the cotton tip is removed and routinely processed for paraffin embedding, and the sections are stained by routine methods used in cytopathology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results demonstrate that the amount and quality of material obtained in the cotton wool tip is similar to that in the traditional cell block obtained from the pellet after centrifugation of aspirated fluid.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The method is easy to perform and cost effective and is a rapid way to prepare cell blocks of high quality, allowing special staining techniques and improving cytohistologic correlation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Biomedical Center, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Espirito Santo, Brazil. carmusso@npd.ufes.br
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Musso
authors.forename: Maria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Silva-Santos
authors.forename: Fausto E L
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Pereira
mesh_terms: D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D003584:Cytological Techniques / Q000191:economics; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans