What is diagnostic cytology?
Cytology generally concerns the study of cells found in living things. Diagnostic cytology is the process of cell study to identify the disease. Procedures to obtain cells of cells for cytological evaluation change, but usually include the use of body fluid sample or scratching cells from body tissue. Diagnostic cytology can be used to identify various types of cancer and certain infections. Looking under the microscope, all cell types have certain physical properties that distinguish them from other types. Some diseases and infections may affect how cells work and look or where they are present in the body. Diagnostic cytology can help pick up these changes and determine what disease it causes.
There are several different procedures that may be used to obtain a sample of cells from the body for diagnostic cytological testing. The method usually depends on the studied area. For example, if a healthcare provider has suspected a problem in the bladder orAbout the urinary tract, a urine sample can be performed for further testing. If the problem is suspected of tissue that can be approached relatively easily, such as the mouth or uterine cervix, the scratching of cells can be directly from the tissue of this area.
Cervical cells are one of the common subjects of diagnostic cytology. For screening for cervical cancer, uterine cell scratches are often performed commonly known as PAP. The same test can also diagnose certain infections such as human papillomavirus. In general, cells are scraped from the surface of the cervix in the coating of the PAP on the slides and stained with special chemicals, so they can be easily seen under the microscope. Diagnostic cytolologist usually evaluates this prepared sample to see if the cells present are normal or show changes that could indicate cancer or infection.
other types of cancer and infections mayAlso be diagnosed using diagnostic cytology. For example, bladder and kidney cancer can be diagnosed by evaluation of cells obtained from a urine sample. Infection known as bacterial meningitis can be found cytological assessment of brain spinal cord. In some cases, diagnostic cytology can only find that something is not normal. Other types of testing, such as DNA or tissue biopsy tests, may be needed to confirm the real disease or infection.