Role of scrape cytology in rapid intraoperative diagnosis. Value and limitations

The diagnostic applications of frozen sections and imprint cytology are well known. A study was conducted to evaluate the role of scrape cytology, which is a modification of imprint cytology, in the rapid intraoperative diagnosis of tumors. For 249 surgical specimens studied by scrape cytology, the diagnostic accuracy was 98.4% and the false-positive rate was 0.4%. The method is rapid, easy, reliable and does not require special instruments or set ups. The diagnostic accuracy was better than reported for imprint cytology or frozen sections alone. Scrape cytology is advocated as a routine intraoperative procedure, especially where frozen section facilities are not available. While not meant as an alternative to frozen sections, scrape cytology can be an excellent adjunct to that technique.