INTRA-OPERATIVE CRUSH-SMEAR PREPARATIONS FOR DIAGNOSIS OF ENDOMETRIOSIS

Objective: To determine the degree of success of intra-operative (per-operative) crush-smear preparations in endometriosis. Study design: Comparative, prospective. Place & Duration of Study: Departments of Pathology of six Armed Forces medical institutions (details in text) August 9, 2006 through July 31, 2016. Materials and Methods: Eleven cases, ultimately turning out to be endometriosis, form the subject of this study. Each presented as painful mass of short duration and was radiologically suspected to be – among a host of various benign and malignant conditions – endometriosis. In either instance, per-operative microscopic consultation was deemed necessary. Frozen section facilities not being available, crush-smear preparations were made, stained instantly and communicated to the surgeon. Notably, rapid Romanovsky and haematoxylin-and-eosin (H&E) staining of smears takes 30% less than the time needed for a frozen section preparation. Results: Without exception, all 11 specimens were reported as “benign, suggestive of endometriosis”. Histopathological examination of each excised specimen confirmed the diagnosis. Conclusion: Pending further reports on the matter, it is thus far 100% accurate to explore the possibility of endometriosis by an intra-operative (per-operative) crush smear in the absence of a cryostat. It is advantageous over the latter method in being cheaper and quicker. Key words : Intra-operative consultation, Crush-smear, Endometriosis