The Practical Lab - Cytology Flashcards
What is cytology looking at?
- fluid (bronchoalveolar lavage, CSF, synovial fluid, body cavities
- tissue samples(lumps, bumps, lymph nodes)
What characteristics should you note for a lump?
- localisation
- firm/soft
- dimensions
- painful/non-painful
- ulcerated/non-ulcerated
- cutaneous/sub-cutaneous
- adherent/non-adherent
- how does the aspirate look?
Why would you do a suction FNA?
-for hard, cutaneous or subcutaneous tissue
- on bone lesions
- when non-suction technique is unsuccessful
When might you do a non-suction FNA?
- on soft cutaneous or subcutaneous masses
- lymph nodes
- vascular lesions/organs
How do you do a suction FNA?
draw back on plunger once inside mass, relax plunger then remove
How do you do a non-suction FNA?
use just the needle, draw up air in a syringe, attach needle then push plunger
hat other collection methods are there other than FNA?
impression smear, scraping, ear swab (imprint then roll on slide), biopsy
What is malassezia?
fungus (yeast) peanut shaped and usually present in slow numbers on normal skin
What should you do after collecting a cytology sample?
- dry quickly with air or hair dryer
- sample must be completely dry before staining or packaging to send away
-label smears with pencils
How would you stain a cytology sample?
diff quick
What other staining can you use other than diff quick?
- giemsa/modified weight
- methylene blue
- toluidine blue
- ziehl/nielsen
What is involved in diff quick staining?
solution A - methanol- fixation
solution B - eosin - eosiniphilic (base) staining
solution C - methylene blue - basophilic (acid) staining
Which stain deteriorates quicker than others?
methylene blue
What are you looking for under the microscope aat low magnification (10x)?
- cellularity
- preservation
- staining
- haemodilution
- cell distribution
- background
What are you looking for under the microscope at high magnification (40x)?
- cellular vs non-cellular elements
- inflammatory vs neoplastic
- malignant vs benign
