title: Squash cytology in neurosurgical practice: a useful method in resource-limited setting with lack of frozen section facility.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intra-operative cytology is an important diagnostic tool. It has shown to play an important role especially in the diagnosis of central nervous system tumours. The study was done to assess the feasibility of squash cytology as standalone diagnostic test in setting where frozen section facility is not available.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total 48 patients with various intracranial lesions were initially enrolled in the study. Patients were investigated by various radio-imaging techniques and routine blood investigations. Forty-one patients were operated at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose medical college, Jabalpur. Intra-operative squash cytology diagnosis was performed and was correlated with histology diagnosis as gold standard.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 41 patients, inflammatory lesions were diagnosed in nine patients while benign lesions [most common neurilemmoma and meningioma] were observed in 21 and malignant lesions [astrocytoma was most common] were diagnosed in 11 patients. Diagnostic accuracy of intra-operative squash cytology irrespective of lesion & site was 95%. We were able to inform about the diagnosis to neurosurgeon in 15 minutes in all cases and within 12 minutes in >85% cases
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Squash smear cytology is reliable and rapid standalone diagnostic method and it can assist for intra-operative decision-making diagnosis of intracranial lesions in resource-limited settings where frozen section facility is not available.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, R.D. Gardi Medical College , Ujjain, India .
authors.forename: Manish
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Pathology, N.S.C.B. Medical College , Jabalpur, India .
authors.forename: Shiv Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Chandrakar
authors.affiliation: Vice-chancellor, Madhya Pradesh University of Medical Sciences , Jabalpur, India .
authors.forename: Dharampal
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lokwani
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Pathology, R.D. Gardi Medical College, Ujjain, India: Post-Doc, Division of Global Health, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden: In-charge, Central Clinical Laboratory, Ujjain Charitable Trust Hospital and Research Centre , Ujjain, India .
authors.forename: Manju Raj
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Purohit
keywords: Cns lesions; Intra-operative diagnosis; Squash cytology