Comparison of modified ultrafast Papanicolaou stain with the standard rapid Papanicolaou stain in cytology of various organs

Abstract

Background:Since the first introduction of Papanicolaou (Pap) stain in 1942 there have been many modifications. Of these, the Ultra-Fast Pap stain has become popular. This technique was further modified in India as many of the reagents were not available in our country. Our study was conducted by adapting this modified staining technique which involves the replacement of Gill's hematoxylin with Harris hematoxylin.Aims:The aim of our prospective study was to assess the use of the modified Ultra-Fast Pap stain (MUFP) for fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of various organs in comparison with the standard rapid Pap stain.Materials and Methods:A total of 100 FNAC cases were studied by random sampling. Two smears were prepared for each case and stained by both, the MUFP and the rapid Pap stain. Scores were given and the quality index was calculated, followed by the statistical analysis. The number of cases was as follows: lymph node (43), thyroid (25), breast (23), salivary gland (02), and soft tissues (07). Scores were given on four parameters: Background of smears, overall staining pattern, cell morphology and nuclear staining. Quality index was calculated from the ratio of score achieved to the maximum score possible.Statistical Analysis:Results were analyzed using Mean, Median, Standard Deviation, ‘t’ paired test, ‘P’ value and M-diff for statistical significance.Results:Correct diagnosis was made in all cases. The quality index of MUFP smears was better compared to the rapid Pap stain in all the organs, and was statistically significant. MUFP smears showed a clear red blood cells background, transparent cytoplasm and crisp nuclear features.Conclusion:MUFP is a reliable and rapid technique for cytology diagnosis.

Comparing Trio-Modified Papanicolaou Staining Methods for Assessing Liquid-Based Cytology Samples

“…Again, SAP agrees with MEM (45% reduction in consumables), which has been published by Odigie and Obaseki [1] ; and is also consistent with the report by Gupta et al [3] , which favors minimum alcohol use but disagrees with Dighe et al [2] ; where 25% reduction was achieved. In respect to the turn-around time, SAP (5±0.5) partially aligns with MEM (7±0.5) by Odigie and Obaseki [1] and the report by Choudhary et al [4] but is dissimilar to RAT as reported by Richard [5] . In an earlier report, SAP staining quality agrees with MEM, which was well preserved even after some months of storage and is essential for smear review and retrospective studies [1,8,13,14] .…”

“…Papanicolaou staining has been in use for decades and has been published to date [1,[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] . This study was a follow-up to an existing work and an adaptation of the study by Odigie and Obaseki [1] .…”

“…Also, cellular results are consistent as well with basal or intermediate and surface cell stainings. The multicolour effect from the conventional method is usually due to the discerning stain uptake by the component cells and their affinities for specific dyes [1,4] . The various formulations provide the end users with control over colour intensities and the hues ability of the counterstains.…”

“…One of which is the large scale use of alcohol in the staining procedure as a dehydrating agent. Others are the huge cost implication and limitation in the rigorous purchasing license as well as the doubtful originality of the products [4,5] .…”

Modified ultrafast Papanicolaou staining technique: A comparative study

“…[12] To overcome these problems, Yang and Alvarez developed UFP stain which is a hybrid of Romanowsky and conventional PAP stain to reduce the staining time to 90 s.[1] Kamal et al . modified the UFP to overcome the problems of shortage of Richard-Allan Hematoxylin, Richard-Allan cytostain, and ethyl alcohol reagents in Indian set up.…”