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Comparison of three methods for differential cell count in induced sputum
Beatriz M Saraiva-Romanholo1, Viviani Barnabé, Ana Lúcia I Carvalho
1Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Chest
|September 13, 2003
Summary
Induced sputum analysis for airway inflammation can be performed effectively without costly cytospin enrichment. Techniques without cytospin processing are faster and more economical for assessing eosinophils and neutrophils.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Respiratory Research
- Clinical Cytology
Background:
- Induced sputum (IS) analysis is crucial for diagnosing inflammatory airway diseases.
- Cytospin techniques for cell enrichment in IS increase analytical costs and require timely slide processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare three distinct techniques for induced sputum cytologic analysis.
- To evaluate the time and cost associated with each method.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary-care university hospital.
- Eighty-nine asthma patients and 11 controls underwent sputum induction with hypertonic saline.
- Sputum samples were processed via three techniques: direct smear (A), dithiothreitol (DTT) treatment (B), and DTT with cytospin (C).
Main Results:
- Techniques A and B yielded acceptable quality slides in 80% of cases, compared to 65% for technique C.
- Strong correlations were observed for eosinophil and neutrophil counts across all three techniques.
- Bland-Altman analysis confirmed good agreement between techniques A/B and technique C for cell counts.
Conclusions:
- All three techniques effectively indicate lung inflammation.
- Techniques A and B are more time-efficient and cost-effective than technique C.
- Non-cytospin methods offer a practical alternative for induced sputum analysis.