A polycarbonate thin film technique for cytologic preparation of fluid specimens

The use of polycarbonate membrane filters for the routine cytologic analysis of fluid specimens is well established. These filters are also currently used as integral components in some commercially available fully automated machines for the formation of monolayer cell spreads of cytologic specimens. We describe a simple manual polycarbonate filter technique for the production of similar preparations, utilizing commonly available laboratory materials, for all types of cytologic fluid specimens. The method is rapid, eliminates the cumbersome processing of whole filters, provides excellent morphologic detail and obviates the need for automated or cytocentrifugation instruments. The method is thus well suited to laboratories in which the number of fluid specimens is not large enough to justify the financial resources needed for these relatively expensive machines.