Home
HelpCytology, Bronchoscopic Washings
Performing Laboratory
Billings Clinic LaboratoryMethodology
Includes direct smear slide preparation and/or slide liquid prep, routine Papanicolaou staining, and microscopic cytologic examination.Useful for the diagnosis of primary or metastatic neoplasms; can aid in the diagnosis of certain infectious and nonneoplastic processes.
Specimen Requirements
1. Collect 1 mL to 2 mL of washings into vial containing 30 mL of cytology fixative.2. Send fresh (unfixed) specimen in addition to the required specimen, if possible.
3. Label specimen appropriately (patient’s name, history number, and specimen source) on the container—not the lid.
Note: 1. Bronchoscopic lavages are for “in-house” use only. They are collected at Billings Clinic Laboratory and immediately sent fresh (unfixed) to the Microbiology Department for preliminary processing, before being forwarded to the Cytology Department.
2. Please complete a “Reference Pathology/Non-Gynecologic Cytology Request Form” in “Request Forms” in “Special Instructions” including specimen source and all pertinent clinical data (clinical symptoms, history of malignancy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and tentative diagnosis), and forward it with the specimen.
Reference Values
Descriptive diagnosis of microscopic findings are generally categorized as positive, inconclusive, or negative for malignancy.Nondiagnostic or unsatisfactory results are given when material is inadequate for a diagnostic interpretation.