Abstract

MODIFIED RAPID PAPANICOLAOU STAIN AS A SUITABLE ALTERNATIVE TO STANDARD PAPANICOLAOU STAIN

Haider Ghazi Hussein*, Ikhlas fadhil Hameed, Khalida Kamel Ibrahim

Abstract

Objective: Papanicolaou stain is a multichromatic stain used to differentiate cells in smear preparations of various bodily secretions. However, it is not fully standardized technique because it comes in several versions. This study was done to design a method that requires hardly any alcohol during staining of cytology and thereby to reduce the expense and to search for staining of cytology smear that is qualitatively as good as standard Papanicolaou stain for cytological examination and for cervical cancer screening. Methods: A number of smears were taken from patients attending the Cytopathology department of central public health Laboratory in Baghdad. Two smears from each patient were collected and stained by standard Papanicolaou stain and the modified method of stain separately. All the modified and standard PAP stained smears were screened by senior pathologists and compared using various parameters like the quality of cytoplasmic stain and its transparency and nuclear details like margin, nucleolus and chromatin pattern. Results: The total number of patients was 76, and for each patient two smears were taken .One slide was stained using conventional technique and the other was stained using the modified one. The staining quality of the modified technique was approximately similar to conventional PAP stain. Conclusion: Modified Papanicolaou stain, in comparison to conventional Papanicolaou, provides a suitable, excellent & rapid alternative for cytological screening with minimum cost.

Keywords: Papanicolaou stain, cytology, cervical cancer.