[Colorimetric and cytophotometric study of a modified Papanicolaou staining method in cervical cells].

Abstract

The staining patterns of a modified Papanicolaou staining method and of its components are compared with those from the common Papanicolaou method. The staining results are investigated by the CIE-DIN-standardized color analysis. The medical investigator is able to discriminate more colors than this cytophotometric method, but this method is superior in the exact determination of colors. For neither of the both Papanicolaou staining methods it is possible to indicate one or two wavelengths for cytophotometric measurement using narrow-band filters which allows an optimal automated separation of nuclei, cytoplasms and background of all cell types. Keeping to this usual color analyzing method there is a better evaluation of the common Papanicolaou staining patterns. More saturated colors in the cyanophilic cytoplasms with the Papanicolaou staining patterns and in the eosinophilic cytoplasms with the investigated modified Papanicolaou staining patterns would be desirable. Since the resulting color patterns are similar from both stains, the modified Papanicolaou method has to prefer if it proves to be more reproducible.