The Role of Liquid-Based Preparation in the Evaluation of Endometrial Cytology

Objective: Liquid-based preparation (LBP) of the endometrial lesions is an important diagnostic tool for a variety of endometrial abnormalities because of its simplicity and high quali-quantitative diagnostic yield. We aimed to investigate the LBP method for endometrial cytology to evaluate both benign and abnormal endometrial lesions. Study Design: LBP is a semiautomated methodology that has recently become widely available and has gained popularity as a method of collecting and processing both gynecologic and non-gynecologic cellular specimens. Results: Some peculiar endometrial cytoarchitectural features were described using LBPs. These were advantageous to screen as compared to conventional slides due to a smaller screening area and an excellent quality of cell preparations. Conclusions: LBP is a useful tool in the cellular diagnosis and follow-up of endometrial abnormalities, which remains complementary to the emerging molecular diagnostic cytopathology. The study of LBPs from endometrial cytology could be challenging since it is affected by numerous look-alikes and diagnostic pitfalls. This review discusses these various entities and takes into consideration the ancillary techniques that may be useful in the diagnostic procedure. (C) 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel