Studies on the distribution of abnormal cells in cytological smears. VII. Cervical brush versus plastic and wooden spatulas.

A model system of exfoliated normal human cervicovaginal squamous cells, exfoliated rodent tumor cells, and acellular, viscous, mucuslike material was used to investigate cell deposition on smear preparations made with three different instruments: plastic spatulas, wooden spatulas, and brush-tipped collectors. The total number of exfoliated cells and the total number of tumor cells present within the randomly distributed holes were then recorded for 41 smear preparations. For smears done with the brush, a total of 47,146 exfoliated cells were recorded; with wooden spatulas, 4517 cells; and with plastic spatulas, 7648 cells. When the brush was used, 6905 tumor cells were recorded. When wooden or plastic spatulas were applied, 563 and 1132 tumor cells were found, respectively. Thus, the brush yielded 12.2 and 6.1 times more tumor cells than plastic and wooden spatulas, respectively.