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Manual Liquid-Based Cytology: A Clinical Pilot Study of the VitroPrep™ Cytology Processing Kit
Lisa Rahangdale1, Debra Budwit, Davoud Asgari
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, N.C., USA.
Objective:
It was the aim of this study to assess the utility of the manual liquid-based cytology (LBC) product VitroPrep™ Cytology Processing Kit (ChemQ Bioscience LLC, Research Triangle Park, N.C., USA).
Study Design:
This is a descriptive pilot study. Women underwent cervical sampling processed by the ThinPrep™ automated LBC system followed by cervical sampling for the VitroPrep manual system. The following criteria were assessed on a scale of 1-5 (1 = unsatisfactory, 2 = borderline, 3 = acceptable, 4 = good, 5 = excellent): monolayer cell adhesion, overall cellularity, background clarity, preservation of cellular morphology, red cell lysis, and elimination of mucus/debris. Cytological diagnosis was compared to results from ThinPrep samples. In addition, VitroPrep samples were taken prior to conization procedures and compared to pathology results. Descriptive statistics were performed.
Results:
Forty-two of 47 women who underwent dual cytologic sampling had satisfactory samples. All scores were 3-5, with >90% graded 4-5. The VitroPrep diagnosis correlated with the ThinPrep diagnosis in 90% (38/42) of cases. All specimens obtained from 15 women prior to conization were satisfactory and correlated abnormal cytologic findings with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 1-3 pathology.
Conclusions:
The VitroPrep Cytology Processing Kit was able to provide adequate specimens for evaluation and diagnosis. This low-cost processing kit may provide a useful alternative in settings where automated LBC systems may not be feasible.
