THIN PREP NON GYN

ThinPrep® represents a significant change for the cytologist, since it solves many of the problems of conventional cytology. The sample is collected in the traditional way, but instead of being directly stained to the slides, it is transferred to a vial with a special solution.

― ThinPrep on Cytology Samples

The diagnostic accuracy of the cytology test has an unquestionable significance and it is essential to the selection of the correct treatment and, therefore,to better prognosis for the patient. The claim that good sample preparation improves cell morphology during the cytologist’s reading is completely true.

Until now, conventional cytology tests faced limits and technical problems that degraded the diagnostic value of the test. All cytology samples, but mainly bronchoscopy samples (BAL, brooms, sputum) are materials for which the substrate (mainly mucus and blood) may render diagnosis rather difficult. Preparing such samples causes important problems, especially to the cytologist’s effort to define the appropriate amount of material to use on slide staining. When the amount of material is not adequate, then it results to a sample with too many or, on the contrary, too few cells. The diagnostic process then becomes extremely difficult or impossible.

― Advantages of the ThinPrep method

• No cells are lost from the sample, given the fact that all sample cells are transferred in a dispersion within the vial with the fluid. In this way, there is no possibility to have cells remaining on the sampling device (e.g. brush, fine needle, spatula, broom, e.t.c.) which are not used for diagnosis.
• Samples problematic by their nature because they contain substances (e.g. mucus, blood e.t.c.) which render the cytology test evaluation difficult or even impossible, are not any more, since the sample cells are placed in a liquid which disintegrates mucus, hemolizes red blood cells and generally removes any undesirable substrate.
• Collecting all sample cells in a vial that contains liquid ensures easy and secure transport if necessary, for example from regions outside Athens to Athens, or from Greece to another country. This allows cytology testing and retesting when necessary under the optimal testing conditions for the cytologist.
• All sample cells are fixed in the vial liquid and preserve their original morphology for more than 12 months. This allows performing any cytology test when needed without any unnecessary repeating or asking the patient to visit again.
• Using the ThinPrep method helps avoid the preparation, staining and testing a large number of smears from the same sample because only one slide is necessary for the cytology test. The obvious advantages are the following: a) less time needed for the preparation of every sample, b) less cost in accessories (slides, embedding material, stains, e.t.c.), c) less time needed for the cytologist’s diagnosis, d)more sensitive diagnosis, e) almost no possibility to have an unsatisfactory result which needs a costly retesting.
• ThinPrep 2000 also prepares smears for other tests, such as immunohistochemical stains, molecular biology testing methods (hybridization, PCR), e.t.c.

Source:  Operator’s Manual Hologic, Rev. Release Date: 06/07/12

The information referred to for general information and informing the public and in any case can not replace a doctor or other suitably qualified health professional. The responsibility of the media carries by ENORASIS SA