Do Not Miss the Snake in the Grass – An Interesting Case Series of Mimics in Pap Smear Cytology Which May Impact Reporting

Microscopic examination remains a major component in a diagnostic cytopathology laboratory. Pap smears are one among the commonly reported tests in gynecologic pathology. It is not infrequent to routinely come across artifactual or less significant cytological findings that closely mimic relevant re...

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Main Authors: Nidha Gaffoor, Archana Shetty
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2024-12-01
Series:Archives of Medicine and Health Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/amhs.amhs_232_24
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author Nidha Gaffoor
Archana Shetty
author_facet Nidha Gaffoor
Archana Shetty
author_sort Nidha Gaffoor
collection DOAJ
description Microscopic examination remains a major component in a diagnostic cytopathology laboratory. Pap smears are one among the commonly reported tests in gynecologic pathology. It is not infrequent to routinely come across artifactual or less significant cytological findings that closely mimic relevant reportable findings both on liquid-based and conventional Pap smear examinations. To an imprudent examiner, this not only results in a merry chase but also affects the quality of the final report generated. We present a series of microscopic findings on Pap smears, encountered over 3 months in our laboratory with their close resembles with a note on points of differentiation. This case series is presented with the intent to highlight the need for cytopathologists to be aware of the potential diverters and avoid overdiagnosing or underlooking findings which may have clinical implications.
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series Archives of Medicine and Health Sciences
spelling doaj-art-907ec4f85cdb45f5ad1a40a753ae4a022025-01-07T05:05:32ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsArchives of Medicine and Health Sciences2321-48482321-60852024-12-0112339439710.4103/amhs.amhs_232_24Do Not Miss the Snake in the Grass – An Interesting Case Series of Mimics in Pap Smear Cytology Which May Impact ReportingNidha GaffoorArchana ShettyMicroscopic examination remains a major component in a diagnostic cytopathology laboratory. Pap smears are one among the commonly reported tests in gynecologic pathology. It is not infrequent to routinely come across artifactual or less significant cytological findings that closely mimic relevant reportable findings both on liquid-based and conventional Pap smear examinations. To an imprudent examiner, this not only results in a merry chase but also affects the quality of the final report generated. We present a series of microscopic findings on Pap smears, encountered over 3 months in our laboratory with their close resembles with a note on points of differentiation. This case series is presented with the intent to highlight the need for cytopathologists to be aware of the potential diverters and avoid overdiagnosing or underlooking findings which may have clinical implications.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/amhs.amhs_232_24artifactcytopathologypap smear
spellingShingle Nidha Gaffoor
Archana Shetty
Do Not Miss the Snake in the Grass – An Interesting Case Series of Mimics in Pap Smear Cytology Which May Impact Reporting
Archives of Medicine and Health Sciences
artifact
cytopathology
pap smear
title Do Not Miss the Snake in the Grass – An Interesting Case Series of Mimics in Pap Smear Cytology Which May Impact Reporting
title_full Do Not Miss the Snake in the Grass – An Interesting Case Series of Mimics in Pap Smear Cytology Which May Impact Reporting
title_fullStr Do Not Miss the Snake in the Grass – An Interesting Case Series of Mimics in Pap Smear Cytology Which May Impact Reporting
title_full_unstemmed Do Not Miss the Snake in the Grass – An Interesting Case Series of Mimics in Pap Smear Cytology Which May Impact Reporting
title_short Do Not Miss the Snake in the Grass – An Interesting Case Series of Mimics in Pap Smear Cytology Which May Impact Reporting
title_sort do not miss the snake in the grass an interesting case series of mimics in pap smear cytology which may impact reporting
topic artifact
cytopathology
pap smear
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/amhs.amhs_232_24
work_keys_str_mv AT nidhagaffoor donotmissthesnakeinthegrassaninterestingcaseseriesofmimicsinpapsmearcytologywhichmayimpactreporting
AT archanashetty donotmissthesnakeinthegrassaninterestingcaseseriesofmimicsinpapsmearcytologywhichmayimpactreporting