[Recollections of the development of clinical cytology at Merkur University Hospital].

My recollections of the development of clinical cytology at Merkur University Hospital cover a 30-year period, from 1955 to 1985, and succession of generations. The beginning is always exciting, pervaded by youthful enthusiasm, while memories are quite nostalgic. That is how I also felt at the "Ruzdić's" medical biochemistry laboratory.

[Postgraduate study in clinical cytology since 1967--foundation and impact on the development of cytology in Croatia].

In Croatia, clinicians were the first to introduce clinical cytology in the first half of the 20th century. At that time, Beata Brauzil introduced morphological diagnosis in hematology and educated a critical number of clinicians and other enthusiasts interested in cytology. Following the 1963 World Health Organization guidelines on the value of cytodiagnosis in the early detection of cancer and the need of respective education in cytology of medical students, clinicians, pathologists and other professionals, Erik Hauptmann, an internist (as the first head) and Ante Zimolo, a pathologist, initiated foundation of the Postgraduate Study in Medical/Clinical Cytology (PSMCC) in 1967.

[Role of the clinician in cytologic diagnosis].

In the course of continuing education for physicians on nongynaecological cytology, together with the topics about development and actual situation in clinical cytology, especially in Croatia, as well as those about the technical procedures in cytology, the clinicians' participation in the interpretation of cytological diagnosis was discussed. The term "clinicians" is used here for those physicians who need a rapid, accurate and nonaggressive morphological diagnostic method for the treatment of their patients. The central part of the course was a round-table discussion about the role of clinicians in making cytological diagnosis, with participation of cytologists and clinicians from various branches of medicine, who are either cytologists, or have a good contact with cytologists.

Morphologic diagnosis of Hürthle cell tumors of the thyroid gland.

Despite difficulties in differential diagnosis, aspiration cytology offers unique advantages in the preoperative diagnosis of Hürthle cell (HC) tumors of the thyroid gland over immunocytochemistry and micromorphometry, which have not achieved the anticipated success in the diagnosis of HC tumors. Aspiration cytology is comparable, in terms of speed and accuracy, to microspectrometry of DNA content in HC tumors, a technique that is not convenient for routine use. Detailed morphologic analysis of 19 characteristics of the smears and of the cells revealed five parameters adding to the sensitivity, specificity and reliability of routine diagnosis: HC collection in the form of nests, marked or at least moderate anisocytosis and anisokaryosis, multinucleation and emphasized nucleoli.

Fine needle aspiration cytology in the preoperative diagnosis of ultrasonically enlarged parathyroid glands.

The value of fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology in the diagnosis of ultrasonically suspected parathyroid gland enlargements was reviewed for a six-year series of cases. In 146 patients, 277 FNA biopsies under ultrasound guidance were performed on suspected enlarged parathyroid glands. Smears were routinely stained by the Pappenheim (May-Grünwald-Giemsa) method, and the Grimelius silver stain was used to demonstrate argyrophilic granules in the cytoplasm of parathyroid cells.