Papanicolaou stain
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Papanicolaou stain, abbreviated Pap stain, is a standard stain used in cytopathology.[1] It is a modified H&E stain.
| Papanicolaou stain | |
|---|---|
| Stain in short | |
 Low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. | |
| Abbreviation | Pap stain |
| Similar stains | Romanowsky stains |
| Use | the standard stain in cytopathology |
| Interpretation | blue/purple = nucleus, pink/green = cytoplasm, orange = keratin |
General
- Can be thought of as the H&E of cytopathology.
- It is a modified H&E stain.
- Specimens are fixed in ethanol.
- Good for seeing nuclear detail.
- Out-of-focus cytoplasm is translucent; allows one to focus overlapped cells in different planes.
Use
Interpretation
- Blue/purple = nucleus.
- Green/pink = cytoplasm.
- Orange = keratin.
Images
LSIL - Pap stain. (WC)
HSIL - Pap stain. (WC)
Urine cytology - Pap stain. (WC)
