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The diagnosis of trichomonas vaginalis in liquid‐based Pap tests: Morphological characteristics
Author(s) -
Aslan Deniz L.,
McKeon Dan M.,
Stelow Edward B.,
Gulbahce H. Evin,
Kjeldahl K.,
Pambuccian Stefan E.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
diagnostic cytopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.417
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1097-0339
pISSN - 8755-1039
DOI - 10.1002/dc.20231
Subject(s) - trichomonas vaginalis , medicine , trichomonas vaginitis , trichomonas , gynecology
We investigated the morphological features of Trichomonas vaginalis in liquid‐based Papanicolaou (Pap) (LBP) tests, in order to assess the impact of this new slide preparation system on recognition of T. vaginalis organisms. We reviewed 88 LBP test slides previously interpreted as showing T. vaginalis and assessed morphological characteristics of the organisms and the presence of secondary features. Eighty‐six of 88 slides showed, at least focally, organisms with cytoplasmic granules, nuclei, and flagella allowing for confident recognition of T. vaginalis. Compared with 58 controls, cases of T. vaginalis were more likely to have squamous cells with perinuclear halos, “ghost cells,” and coccobacilli. The lack of a “dirty” background or cytolysis allowed a more straightforward identification of the organisms. We concluded that T. vaginalis organisms are morphologically distinct in LBP tests, which may lead to an increased specificity when they are identified in such tests. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2005;32:253–259. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.