Intraoperative Imprint-squash Methods in Central Nervous System Tumors

OBJECTIVES: Central nervous system (CNS) tumors constitute 1.3% of all cancers in adults and are the seventh leading cause of death in developed countries. CNS tumors are very soft and have a gelatin-like texture. Smear technique is a very simple and fast method for the diagnosis of brain tumors. METHODS: In this study, we evaluated the imprint and squash cytology of 100 cases sent to the pathology clinic. The sections of the paraffin blocks were prepared after the operation in the neurosurgery clinic of the SBU Hamidiye Şişli Efal Training and Research Hospital. The accuracy rate was 90% in the differential diagnosis of malignant tumors from the benign ones. CONCLUSION: Cytological samples were taken from 100 cases of intracranial tumors that were operated in the neurosurgery clinic of Şişli Etfal Hospital, and the paraffin sections prepared from the biopsy materials were examined. The cases with misdiagnosis were usually differentiated from solid-hard tumors, epithelial-grade cystic structures, and medulloblastoma localized in the posterior fossa, medulloblastoma and ependymoma. However, this method has been found to be very convenient in practice due to its ease technically, low cost and equipment savings.