Today's Veterinary Practice

JAN-FEB 2016

Today's Veterinary Practice provides comprehensive information to keep every small animal practitioner up to date on companion animal medicine and surgery as well as practice building and management.

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Today's VeTerinary PracTice | January/February 2016 | tvpjournal.com common neoPlasTic skin lesions in dogs & caTs Peer reviewed 28 Cytology, the microscopic examination of tissue samples spread onto slides, is a powerful tool for evaluation of skin lesions in small animal patients. 1 In many cases, cytology can provide a defnitive diagnosis for cutaneous masses. In others, sample evaluation can rule out some differential diagnoses and help the clinician choose the best next diagnostic test to perform. CYTOLOGIC SLIDE CREATION The frst critical step in the use of cytology is obtaining and creating a good cytologic sample. Sample Collection In vivo collection technique can be performed with a needle alone (fenestration—this author's preferred technique) or with a syringe attached to the needle (aspiration) (see What You Will Need); both of these techniques are typically called fne-needle aspiration (FNA). 1. Before obtaining the sample, lay at least 4 to 6 slides in a row. 2. Stabilize the mass in your nondominant hand. 3. For the fenestration technique: » Direct the needle into the mass. » Rapidly withdraw—yet stay within skin—and push back into the mass several times before removing the needle completely. » Draw several milliliters of air into the syringe, connect it to the needle, and expel the needle contents onto a slide. » Make sure the bevel is down and the contents are expelled near the frosted end of the slide. 4. For the aspiration technique: » Connect the needle and syringe, direct the needle into the mass, and draw back and release the plunger several times. » With pressure released, withdraw the needle from the mass, disconnect the needle, and draw several milliliters of air into the syringe. » Reconnect the syringe and needle; then expel the needle contents onto the slide. Slide Preparation Slide preparation is key for good cytology results. For best cellular evaluation, the samples must be smeared—in a thin layer—quickly to prevent clotting or drying. Smearing is important even if only a small dot of the sample is expelled onto the slide. If cells dry in a little round puddle of fuid, the slide is diffcult to assess because the cells maintain more of a 3-dimensional appearance and their cytoplasm is not spread out. CytologiC Diagnosis & treatment options Common Neoplastic Skin Lesions in Dogs & Cats Laura D. Garrett, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Oncology) University of Illinois What You Will Need Sample collection and preparation for cytology are simple and require little equipment: ` Needles (usually 20- or 22-gauge) ` 6-mL syringe ` Clean glass slides FIGURE 1. The slide in the left hand is the sample slide; the slide in the right hand has been lightly touched to the sample, adhering a small amount of sample to its underside.

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