Specimen Information

Spontaneous nipple discharge is collected by touching a glass slide to the discharge and spreading it uniformly on the slide. Slides must be fixed within 3 seconds by spraying with a cytology fixative (Cyto Fix). If using spray fixative, the can should not be held closer than 12 inches from the slide, making sure the entire specimen is flooded with spray fix. Drying or improper fixation cannot be permitted, as cellular detail is distorted and may render the specimen unsatisfactory for interpretation. All slides submitted for cytologic examination are required to have the patient’s name (in pencil) on the frosted end of the slide. The slide container should also be labeled with a minimum of 2 patient  identifiers (i.e. full name and date of birth). The accompanying laboratory requisition should contain all pertinent clinical information including history of  cancer/radiation/chemotherapy.

An alternative collection method is to collect the nipple discharge on a plastic spatula, then rinse the spatula thoroughly in a ThinPrep Vial Supply #032004 by swirling the spatula vigorously in the vial 10 times. The spatula can then be discarded. Tighten the cap of the vial so that the torque line on the cap passes the torque line on the vial. Label the vial with 2 patient identifiers and submit with a properly completed requisition that contains all pertinent  clinical information.