An improved method of cell recovery following bronchial brushing

Cytologic examination of bronchial brush specimens is effective in diagnosing bronchogenic carcinoma. A major problem is loss of cells and cellular detail associated with the direct smear technique (DST). A more recent method, the Saccomanno brush wash (SBW), uses a narrow-mouthed vial to scrape cells off the brush directly into fixative. We sampled 12 directly visualized airway tumors using standard brush technique. The same brush was then agitated in a SBW vial, which was centrifuged, the cell pellet being smeared over a predetermined area of a slide. Designated areas of each slide were counted and total malignant cells per slide extrapolated. DST slides had significantly fewer cells than SBW slides, and cellular detail was better with SBW in seven cases, DST in one case, and equal in four cases. SBW appears preferable for handling of bronchial brush specimens.