[Phasecontrast cytology for intraoperative diagnosis of malignant breast lesions (author's transl)]

The efficacy of a cytodiagnostic method using a wet preparation of freshly exstirpated suspected tumorous breast tissue and phasecontrast microscopy has been evaluated in 430 cases. 95% of the carcinomas present were found with this method. The rate of wrongly positive cytological findings was less than 1%. It is discussed what advantages of this method can be achieved by a well trained cytologist for the patient and the surgical organisation. Further this new method is a means to check the frozen section findings.