Comparison of Quality of Smears Prepared from Refrigerated Serous Effusions Based on Preservative Material on Different Days

Evaluation and storage of serous fluid have a major role in clinical diagnosis and prognosis. We tried to evaluate and compare the quality of smears that have been prepared from refrigerated serous effusions according to preservative material in different days. This prospective, interventional, analytical study was performed on refrigerated serous effusions in the cytopathology deportment of Alzahra Hospital (Isfahan, Iran) during 2007-08. Totally, 20 samples, including 15 for malignant and 5 for benign cases, were selected. The samples were divided into two groups, i.e. a group without any protective material and another with albumin as a protective. Their morphological changes for diagnostic cells were evaluated on days1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15. The mean age of the participants was 60.3 ± 11.9 years. The percent of diagnostic cells between first to 6 days in both benign and malignant cases in albumin contained fluid were more than non-protected ones (P < 0.001). As time passed, the number of diagnostic cells decreased in both preserved and non-preserved groups. In fact, until the 3rd day, all specimens had diagnostic cells but on the 15th day, none of them had any diagnostic cells. The morphology of cytological preparation was preserved and interpretable after 6 days. Although we cannot preserve effusions for more than one week in our institution, adding albumin as a protective factor would provide the chance for longer preservation.