Cell surplus on sampling devices after routine cervical cytologic smears. A study of residual cell populations

To demonstrate whether considerable valuable cellular material remains on the sampling device after a conventional cervical cytologic smear and to investigate whether evidence of cervical disease may be present on the sampling device but missed because it is not represented on the first slide.

Routine cervical cytologic smear material was taken from 60 women who were attending the colposcopy or gynecologic oncology clinic at New England Medical Center. At the time of the colposcopic examination, a cervical scrape was made using a Cytobrush followed by a Cervex brush. After the smear was made from each device, the sampling devices were also used to make four additional slides. Both the Cytobrush and Cervex brush were applied to each slide.

Cytologically, all five slides were satisfactory for screening in the 60 cases. In all diagnostic cases but one, disease was well represented across all five slides.

Cellular material collected in a cervical scrape is sufficient to prepare at least five satisfactory smears. The one case where an abnormality was detected only on the third slide suggests the possibility of nonrandom subsampling and of discarding the majority of the cellular material from the patient.