Cytological examination Flashcards
What three cell types are present during inflammation?
- Neutrophilic
- Eosinophilic
- Lymphoplasmacytic
What cell types are present with neoplasia?
- round cells
- mesenchymal/spindle
- epithelial
What are the three classes of ‘lumps’?
Inflammation
Neoplastic
Cysts
What % of cells are neutrophils with acute inflammation?
> 70%
What is the appearance of neutrophils in non-septic/ sterile inflammation?
Neutrophils are present but they are non-degenerated and well-preserved.
In septic inflammation, what are the neutrophils like?
They are predminant but are degenerate (karyolysed) and bacteria often present.
What is the cell content with eosinophilic inflammation?
Might be mixed cell type but 50% may be eosinophils.
What is karyolysis?
Nuclear fading (chromatic dissolution due to action of DNAases and RNAases)
What is pyknosis?
Nuclear shrinking - DNA condenses into shrunken basophilic mass.
What is karyorrhexis?
Nuclear fragmentation - pyknotic nuclei membrane ruptures and nucleus undergoes fragmantation.
what does karyolysis, pyknosis and karyorrhexis lead to?
Nuclear dissolution and anuclear necrotic cell.
What are the signs of chronic inflammation?
The number of mononucleocytes (monocytes, lymphocytes, macrophages, plasma cells) increased and can be over 50%.
What is the appearance of a granulomatous inflammation on cytology?
Multi-nucleated giant cells (Langhans cells)
Why do cholesterol crystals form in cysts?
This is when the membranes are broken down and cholesterol crystals form.
What is a sialocele?
A cavity containing saliva. in the submaxillary space.
Are sialoceles painful?
no, they are painless and have acute onset of the submaxillary space.
What does a sialocele stain contain?
RBCs, WBCs, some mucin and mucin and macrophages.
What colour is mucin?
Pink in colour
What is present in a haematomma?
Depends on age of the lesion. There will be protein similar to blood content.
There will be no platelets unless the blood is still actively bleeding into the space.
There will be lots of macrophages clearing up the red blood cells.
What will the blood be like in a haematomma?
Dark, blood-like, does not clot.
What are two differentials for haematomma on the head?
Hydrocephalus, abscess.
When the blood has been present in the haematoma for a while, what might be present?
haematological crystal (yellow colour)
What cells will be present in haematomma?
Macrophages, hemisiderophages, RBCs, maybe haematological crystal.
What are the cell types present in epithelial neoplasia?
Surface: squamous, basal, transitional, hair follicles.
Glandular: apocrine, exocrine
What are the types of benign epithelial neoplasia?
Adenoma
Papilloma
What are the types of malignant epithelial neoplasia?
Adenocarcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma
What are the types of cell of spindle/ mesenchymal?
Osteoblasts, fibrocytes, muscle cells, endothelial cells
What are the benign spindle neiplasia?
leiomyoma, fibroma
What are the malignant types of mesenchymal neoplasia?
- fibrosarcoma
2. haemangiosarcoma
What are the cell types of round cell neoplasia?
Plasma cells
Lymphoctes
Mast cells
Histiocyte
What are the benign neoplasi of round cells?
plasmacytoma
histiocytoma
What are the malignant types of round cell neoplasia?
mast cell tumour
lymphoma
malignant myeloma
Name 7 ways to distinguish epithelial cells?
- cells are associated with each other
- High yield
- Acini
- Rafts
- Sheets
- cuboidal
- columnar
Name 4 ways to identify spindle/mesenchymal cells?
- Low yeild
- spindle shaped cells
- usually single, might be association sheets
- might be matrix
Name 3 ways to distinguish round cells?
- Discrete round appearance
- High yeild
- non adherent
Which type of neoplasia is particularly hard to distinguish?
Amelanotic melanoma
Around which type are there white lines?
Epithelial
Which type of neoplasia is hardest to sample?
Mesenchymal/ spindle because there is a low yield of cells.
What does a lipoma aspirate look like on the slide?
Clear and greasy
What can you stain lipoma smears with?
Sudan III, oil red ‘O’
What do lipomas look like on smear?
Low cellularity, few climps of benign connective tissue and adipocytes.
What are the 4 signs of cellular malignancy?
- a cell present in an area where it should not be
- high pleomorphism between cells
- high monomorphism in an area where there should not be e.g. lymphocytes
- high cytoplasmic to nuclear ratio
Should there be lots of variation in lymphoid tissue?
Yes
What are the 5 criteria of nuclear malignancy?
- variation in size and shape (>1.5 difference between largest and smallest)
- condensed chromatin
- fragmented, multiple, moulded nucleoli
- multiplle/irregular nucleoli
- increased/ abnormal mitotic figures
What features make cytoplasm malignant?
Basophilia/ hyperchromasia
Phagocytosis, vacuolation, granularity.
What is basophilia of the cytoplasm caused by?
High RNA content of immature cells.
What is a pseudopod formation?
microtubule formation
Are carcinomas mesothelial or epithelial?
epithelial
What is often difficult to determine with sarcomas?
A cell of origin
Why are sarcomas difficult to aspirate?
Low cell volume and also, entwinned nature of cells makes them difficult to exfoliate.
In which types of neoplasia is cellularity high?
Epithelial and round cell.
Name 6 types of round cell tumour?
- mast cell tumour
- histiocytoma
- melanoma
- lymphoma
- Transmissible venereal tumour (TVT)
- Plasmacytoma
Name 4 reasons for lymph node enlargement?
- reactive hyperplasia
- lymphadenitis
- lymphoma
- metastatic neoplasia
Is it normal to have differently sized lymphocytes in the lymph node?
YES
What do hepatocytes look like?
Large, round or oval cells with slightly granula cytoplasm. Nucei have coarse chromatin and have a prominent nucleous.
Are binucleate hepatocytes normal?
In some species.
Why do we need to know where the needle is when taking a sample from a lipoma?
Because subcutaneous fat looks exactly the same
How do you record your findings from samples?
Cytology reports
