COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF 2 FIXATION TECHNIQUES - IMMERSION FIXATION VS SPRAY FIXATION IN CYTOLOGY SLIDES

Abstract

Background: The traditional method of wet immersion fixation for cytological smears presents logistical challenges during transport. Furthermore, delicate diagnostic cellular material can inadvertently wash off the glass slide during the liquid immersion process. Therefore, a comparative analysis of wet immersion fixation versus aerosol spray fixation is necessary to evaluate the diagnostic quality and reliability of the smears in exfoliative cytology. Method: A comparative prospective study was conducted at ABC hospital during the XYZ period. From each volunteer 2 buccal smears were taken. The study included twenty such volunteers. One of the smears were fixed using aerosol spray method whereas the other pair underwent wet immersion fixation. The specific parameters such as background clarity, uniform staining, integrity of the nucleus, and the structure of cell were evaluated using blind evaluation process. The scores were then statistically compared between the two modalities. Results: The cumulative score for optimum quality was 103 for wet immersion method and 85 for aerosol spray method. This overall difference was statistically significant (p = 0.008). The p-value indicated a significant difference in the uniform stain distribution (p = 0.004) and background purity (p = 0.015). Conclusion: Considering the specific characters such as stain uniformity and background purity wet immersion method optimum. However, the preservation of cellular consistency, cytoplasmic clarity, and the fundamental architecture of the cell and nucleus remain highly comparable between both fixation methods.