Collection Requirements

1.Label 4-8 glass slides with the patient’s name of the frosted end prior to starting the procedure.

2.If local anesthesia is used, insert the needle adjacent to but not into the lesion. Anesthetizing solution could dilute or distort the specimen and hinder achieving an accurate diagnosis.

3.Attach a 22-, 23-, or 25-gauge needle to a 20-mL syringe.

4.Insert syringe into a fine needle aspiration syringe holder.

5.Insert needle into lesion.

6.While applying negative pressure, move needle in short, stabbing motions, changing angle of direction with the lesion. 7.Release negative pressure, then remove needle. Specimen should not be drawn up into barrel of the syringe. Pressure should be released as fluid appears in the needle hub. The cells and tissue fragments obtained from a solid lesion should remain in the hub of the needle.

8.After withdrawing the needle, remove it from the syringe and fill the syringe with air.

9.Express a small amount of material onto a slide.

10.Use another slide to smear the aspirated material.

11.Fix both slides immediately (within a few seconds) using cytology spray fixative or immerse in 95% ethyl alcohol.

12.This procedure should be repeated 2-4 times (4-8 slides) with an attempt to sample different areas of the mass each time. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS All cytology specimens submitted for testing should have the following information included on the requisition. Slides must be clearly labeled with patient identifier. Specimens accepted only from physician’s or designee. -Patient Name -Date of Birth -Date of Specimen Collection -Source of Cytologic Material -Submitting Clinician’s Name -MRN -Pertinent Clinical Information -Diagnosis Code