Cervical smears should contain endocervical cells to be accepted as adequate for a cytologic diagnosis. Before this study was undertaken, one-third of the smears received in the Cytology Laboratory of Odense University Hospital were inadequate. In an attempt to increase the rate of adequate smears, a randomized study was undertaken to compare the efficacy of the combined spatula-Cytobrush method to that of the spatula-cotton swab method traditionally used by doctors in Denmark. The incidence of smears containing cylindrical and/or metaplastic cells was 89% by the spatula-Cytobrush method as compared to 62% by the spatula-cotton swab method (P less than .001). There were large differences between the rates of adequate smears from the various doctors when using the spatula-cotton swab method (range, 14% to 82%); these differences were far less when using the spatula-Cytobrush method (range, 75% to 100%). A large-scale application of the spatula-Cytobrush method should result in fewer repeat smears required and fewer false-negative smears.

Cervix Uteri↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Can hairspray be used as a smear fixative? A comparison between two types of coating fixatives.

Pairs of smears from 25 consecutive women undergoing routine screening and 30 consecutive colposcopy patients suspected of having cervical intraepithelial neoplasia were randomized and fixed with either Merckofix or a hairspray to compare their use as coating fixatives. Vacuolated cells from the cervical transformation zone were present in 9 of 25 and 24 of 30 smears fixed with hairspray against 2 of 25 and 2 of 30 of smears fixed with Merckofix in the two series, respectively. These findings indicate that the fixative effect of commercial hairsprays always should be tested before such hairsprays are introduced into routine procedures.

False Negative Reactions↗