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 nongynecologic 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.