Rapid, high throughput determination of cervical cytology specimen adequacy using a capillary-based cytometer

Despite the fact that compact instruments dedicated to counting cells are readily available especially in hematology, liquid-based cervical cytology specimen adequacy is still determined by pathologist review following the preparation of slides. More than 100 liquid-based cervical cytology specimens collected in ThinPrep vials were processed into slides for diagnosis and assessment of specimen adequacy using the Bethesda 2001 criteria. Residual liquid (100 muL) was transferred to a single well of a 96-well plate and run in a capillary cytometer (Guava Technologies, Hayward, CA) with forward scatter and side scatter detectors. We determined that the sensitivity and specificity of this assay for unsatisfactory samples was 100% and 97%, respectively, compared with cytopathologic examination. The difference in the concentration of ectocervical cells/muL (EPU) between samples determined to be unsatisfactory by virtue of less than an estimated 5,000 cells per slide and satisfactory samples were statistically significant (P< 0.001). Here, we report the use of this rapid specimen adequacy assay on a small, capillary based, personal cytometer. Use of this instrument reduced the amount of sample required by >90% and reduced the average per sample assay time from 120 s to 10 s compared with flow cytometry.