The value of rapid imprint smears in the surgery of skin cancer
Dracopoulou, I.; Zambacos, J.; Lissaios, B.; Kouris, A.
Acta Cytologica 20(6): 553-555
1976
ISSN/ISBN: 0001-5547 PMID: 1069451 Document Number: 99662
Although similar information could be obtained histologically, the interest in rapid imprint smears is the possibility of controlling the large area of the surgical field effectively, and this technique should be of great help in radical surgery. The method was applied in different malignancies in the past, but experience with skin malignancies proved its more effective application. The adequacy and extension of the extension is evaluated by knowing whether the patient has a malignant or benign tumor and by checking the clearance of the surgical field as well as the efficacy of the excision according to the principles of radical surgery. For rapid diagnosis during surgery, cytologic studies and frozen section examinations are not rival methods, but should complement each other in all cases. With rapid imprint smears cells show fine details without alterations as compared to the tissue sections. It is also possible to obtain important information concerning bone involvement, which otherwise takes a few days to be determined after bone aphalatosis is done. In some case tumor cells were found in imprint smears but not in frozen sections. Additional frozen sections were examined. Few such cases were noted and the results by examining additional frozen sections were positive. This happened because frozen sections were not taken from the right area, while the smears explored a larger area, or because frozen sections were thick and no cellular details could be examined. With imprint smears larger areas could be controlled with ease and there was little place for failure.