[Possibilities of cytological diagnosis of central nervous system tumors]

The cytological and pathohistological pictures of 384 glial, meningeal, embryonic, neuronal, metastatic tumors and tumors growing into the cranial cavity and spinal canal (the impression smears of removed tumor fragments and the aspirates on fine needle puncture) were studied in parallel. The common supporting cellular and structural signs required for the diagnosis of the major groups of central nervous system (CNS) tumors, for the verification of some histological types of a neoplasm, and for the estimation of the stage of their malignancy were revealed. An algorithm of cytological diagnosis of some CNS tumors and an adapted working classification are proposed.