Characterizing the Effect of Automated Cell Sorting Solutions on Cytomorphological Changes.

Area of Science:

• Cytopathology
• Cellular morphology
• Automated screening technologies

Background:

• Liquid-based cytology (LBC) is a standard automated screening method for gynecologic and nongynecologic samples.
• Automated systems identify atypical cells using morphological and densitometric features.
• The impact of preservative solutions on cell morphology in LBC is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the morphological effects of various storage solutions on cytologic samples.
• To analyze the temporal changes in cell morphology over time in different solutions.

Main Methods:

• Ascites (AS) samples from peritoneal cancer patients were used.
• Cytologic sediments were stored in physiological saline, Ringer's solution, low-molecular dextran L, VOLUVEN 6%, MIXID L injection (ML), RPMI-1640 medium, and horse serum (HS).
• Samples were stored at 4°C and processed at 0, 1, 2, 4, 7, and 14 days; nuclear and cytoplasmic sizes were measured.

Main Results:

• Samples stored in MIXID L (ML) and horse serum (HS) showed no significant difference in cell size compared to the original ascites sample.
• Other solutions caused significant increases in both cytoplasmic and nuclear areas.
• Over time, cell cytoplasm and nuclei decreased in size across all tested solutions.

Conclusions:

• Cytologic cells initially swell in storage solutions within the first hour.
• Cellular size subsequently contracts over extended storage periods.
• These morphological changes necessitate consideration in automated cytologic analysis and screening algorithms.