Table 1.
Cytological and histological assessment criteria
| Grade | Explanation |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Tissue integrity | |
| Grade A | Presence of a tissue core (defined as an architecturally intact piece of tissue measuring at least 550 µm in the microscope visual field) |
| Grade B | Presence of core fragments (tissue does not meet the criteria for a tissue core, but still can yield a diagnosis based on cell morphology) |
| Grade C | No architecturally intact tissue is present, and it cannot yield a diagnosis |
|
| |
| Cellularity* | |
|
| |
| Grade A | Satisfactory, >4 clusters for adequate cytological interpretation with a minimum of 10 cells |
| Grade B | Adequate, 2-4 clusters for adequate cytological interpretation with a minimum of 10 cells |
| Grade C | Unsatisfactory, <2 clusters for adequate cytological interpretation or probably not representative; or a structure-clear nuclear cell count <50 |
|
| |
| Blood contamination | |
|
| |
| Grade A | Minimal contamination, blood cells present in <25% of the slide |
| Grade B | Moderate contamination, blood cells present in 25%-50% of the slide |
| Grade C | Significant contamination, blood cells present >50% of the slide |
*Cellularity was present for assessment of smear cytology and liquid-based cytology