ThinPrep Processor. Clinical trials demonstrate an increased detection rate of abnormal cervical cytologic specimens.

Abstract

The authors compared the accuracy of conventionally prepared smears and smears prepared by an automated, fluid-based, thin-layer processing device in the detection of cytologic abnormalities. A total of 3218 patients from five centers took part in this study, in which a single cervical sample was split into a matched pair. The conventional smear was made in the routine fashion; the remainder of the cells on the sampling device were rinsed into a transport-fixation fluid. A slide was then prepared from the solution using the thin-layer processor. Diagnostic findings identified on the two preparations were compared in a blinded fashion, and a discrepancy resolution procedure was used to eliminate screening differences. Overall, there was a high correlation in the diagnoses of the two methods. For low-grade or more severe disease, the thin-layer method resulted in a 13% increase in the rate of detection, as compared with the conventional Papanicolaou smear technique.