Guidelines to cytology smear examination.

Abstract This chapter highlights guidelines to cytology smear examination presenting a step-by-step approach in slide examination and description. Also included are ways of interpreting cytological findings, and pointers to reduce the chances of missing important details. A poor and superficial examination technique may lead to a wrong diagnosis and incorrect clinical decisions. Therefore, this chapter emphasized that cytological evaluation should be performed with a systematic approach, conducted in the same way each time a slide is examined. Also given importance is that the overall accuracy of cytology testing greatly depends on the quality of the specimen, including the cellularity of the sample, the preservation of the cells and the quality of the staining. When the aspirates are acellular or mostly contain disrupted cells without a clear and distinct cytoplasm (e.g. bare/naked nuclei), a cytological interpretation may not be possible and re-sampling should be recommended. Similarly, if the sample is adequately cellular and the cells are intact but the staining quality is poor, a cytological diagnosis might be precluded.