Comparative study of processing of haemorrhagic body fluids by using different techniques

Area of Science:

• Cytopathology
• Haematology
• Diagnostic Cytology

Background:

• Haemorrhagic fluids are crucial for cytological examination.
• High red blood cell (RBC) counts impede diagnostic accuracy.
• Effective processing is vital for tumour cell identification and morphology preservation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance haemorrhagic fluid quality for cytological assessment.
• To evaluate three haemolysing agents: Carnoy's Fixative (CF), Normal Saline Rehydration Technique (NSRT), and Glacial Acetic Acid (GAA).
• To determine the most effective processing technique for cytomorphological evaluation.

Main Methods:

• Study involved 51 haemorrhagic fluid samples.
• Processing utilized CF, GAA, and NSRT as haemolysing agents.
• Smears were prepared, stained (Leishman's, H&E, Papanicolaou), and compared to a control.

Main Results:

• NSRT achieved RBC lysis in 72.5% of cases, superior to CF (60.8%) and GAA (3.9%).
• Epithelial/mesothelial cell retention was highest with NSRT (70.5%), followed by CF (57.8%).
• Cytomorphological details were best preserved with CF (60.6%), followed by GAA (58.8%).

Conclusions:

• NSRT excels in RBC lysis and cell retention.
• CF demonstrates superior preservation of cytomorphological details.
• NSRT is recommended for haemorrhagic fluid processing due to overall effectiveness and procedural simplicity.