Paracentesis is the procedure in which peritoneal cavity is perforated with a hollow needle to remove fluid or gas.
Paracentesis with ascitic fluid analysis is the most rapid, simple, safe & cost-effective method of determining the etiology of ascites.
Ascitic fluid effusion is classified into transudate and exudate..
Cytology tests on body fluids
Some of the body fluids that can be tested in this way include: Urine.
Sputum (phlegm) Spinal fluid, also known as cerebrospinal fluid or CSF (from the space surrounding the brain and spinal cord).
For the cyto-preparation of body fluids, various cell concentration techniques used are smearing of the sediment, cytocentrifugation, membrane filtration, cell block preparation, and liquid-based preparations.
Each of these methods offers a particular advantage but also suffers from specific shortcomings..
We offer cytologic evaluation of multiple fluid types, including body cavity fluids, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid and tracheal and bronchoalveolar washes.
Fluids from cystic masses and other sites (urine, bile) may also be submitted..
COLLECTION • Fluid is collected by needle aspiration (100 mL) from the respective cavities. • Serous fluids – EDTA for cell counts and morphology.
For other tests in Heparin or blood culture tubes. • Fresh specimens for cytology may be stored upto 48 hours in the refrigerator with satisfactory results.
For an adequate diagnosis, effusion cytopathology should be interpreted with clinical and radiologic information and correlated with ancillary techniques if needed (immunostains, molecular, flow cytometry) Nondiagnostic classification and adequacy evaluation depends on fluid volume, quantity of cells and quality of the preparation .
The international system standardized the way to report cytopathology diagnoses of serous fluids, which includes ,5 different categories:
The international system standardized reporting of serous fluid cytology includes ,5 categories with different malignancy risks ( J Am Soc Cytopathol 2020;9:469, Chandra:
