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Concept
Papanicolaou stain
Summary
Papanicolaou stain (also Papanicolaou's stain and Pap stain) is a multichromatic (multicolored) cytological staining technique developed by George Papanicolaou in 1942. The Papanicolaou stain is one of the most widely used stains in cytology, where it is used to aid pathologists in making a diagnosis. Although most notable for its use in the detection of cervical cancer in the Pap test or Pap smear, it is also used to stain non-gynecological specimen preparations from a variety of bodily secretions and from small needle biopsies of organs and tissues. Papanicolaou published three formulations of this stain in 1942, 1954, and 1960.
Pap staining is used to differentiate cells in smear preparations (in which samples are spread or smeared onto a glass microscope slide) from various bodily secretions and needle biopsies; the specimens may include gynecological smears (Pap smears), sputum, brushings, washings, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, abdominal fluid, pleural fluid, synovial fluid, seminal fluid, fine needle aspirations, tumor touch samples, or other materials containing loose cells.
The pap stain is not fully standardized and comes in several formulations, differing in the exact dyes used, their ratios, and timing of the process. Pap staining is usually associated with cytopathology in which loose cells are examined, but the stain has also been modified and used on tissue slices.
Pap test
Pap staining is used in the Pap smear (or Pap test) and is a reliable technique in cervical cancer screening in gynecology.
The classic form of the Papanicolaou stain involves five stains in three solutions.
The first staining solution contains haematoxylin which stains cell nuclei. Papanicolaou used Harris's hematoxylin in all three formulations of the stain he published.
The second staining solution (designated OG-6), contains Orange G in 95% ethyl alcohol with a small amount of phosphotungstic acid. In the OG-6, the OG signifies Orange G and the '6' denotes the concentration of phosphotungstic acid added; other variants are OG-5 and OG-8).
Official source
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