Sputum cytology examines a sample of sputum (mucus) under a microscope to determine whether abnormal cells are present.
Sputum is not the same as saliva.
Sputum is produced in the lungs and in the airways leading to the lungs.
Sputum has some normal lung cells in it..
You will be asked to cough deeply and spit any phlegm that comes up from your lungs into a special container.
The sample is sent to a lab.
There, part of it is placed in a special dish (culture).
It is then watched for two to three days or longer to see if bacteria or other disease-causing germs grow..
Cough hard from deep inside the chest three times to bring sputum up from your lungs.
Spit the sputum into the tube carefully.
Try not to touch the rim of the container.
Repeat until you have 1 – 2 tablespoons of sputum in the tube..
For the smear, lab staff will look at some of your sputum under a microscope.
If they see bacteria in your sputum, the smear test result is positive.
For the culture, lab staff put some of your sputum into a special container to grow.
If bacteria grow, your culture result is positive..
After collection, the cytology slides should be fixed immediately in 95% ethyl alcohol for Papanicolaou staining, and the remaining slides should be air-dried and fixed in 100% methanol for May-Giemsa staining.
For immunocytochemistry, the slides should be fixed in 15% formalin..
Sputum cytology examines a sample of sputum (mucus) under a microscope to determine whether abnormal cells are present.
Sputum is not the same as saliva.
Sputum is produced in the lungs and in the airways leading to the lungs.
Sputum has some normal lung cells in it..
Sputum is the mucus that settles in the lower airways of your lungs when you have an infection or a chronic illness.
It's also called phlegm.
A lung infection such as pneumonia can cause you to cough up sputum..
Before you have a sputum cytology test your healthcare provider will explain what the procedure entails and discuss what she expects she may find.
She will ask you about your symptoms leading to the test, as well as prior medical conditions and any family history of lung diseases or lung cancer.
Sputum cytology also lacks the ability to determine the location of the cancer or to accurately determine the subtype of lung cancer (histology) present, so further tests will be needed.
Sputum cytology can also be done to look for the number of eosinophils in a sample of sputum.
Most people are able to complete their sputum cytology test in the exam room where they see their healthcare provider, or in an adjacent lab suite.
The sputum specimen will be examined under a microscope to detect whether abnormal cells are present.
Flexible bronchoscopy is used more often than rigid bronchoscopy to collect the sputum samples.
Once the sputum sample is obtained, it is looked at under the microscope.
Special stains may be done, and other techniques to further define what is being seen.
If bacteria are present, the sample will then be placed in a culture and grown (a sputum culture) to determine exactly which bacteria are causing an infection.
There are a number of reasons why a healthcare provider might order a sputum cytology test.
Some of these include:.
1) A cough, especially a persistent cough.
2) Shortness of breath.
3) Lung pain(pain that begins in the region of the lungs).
4) An abnormality on a chest X-ray or CT scan.
5) Exposure to tuberculosis Sputum cytology may be done to diagnos.
Like any medical test, there can be risks associated with a sputum cytology exam, but the most important "risk" is that the test will miss what it is looking for.
Since the test requires people to "cough up" sputum, it may be uncomfortable and can stimulate coughing "jags" for people with lung disease.
Sputum cytology refers to the examination of sputum (mucus) under a microscope to look for abnormal or cancerous cells.
Sputum, or phlegm, is the fluid that is secreted by cells in the lower respiratory tract such as:
The sputum contains various cells and molecular compounds such as:
