Papanicolaou Stain: Is It Economical to Switch to Rapid, Economical, Acetic Acid, Papanicolaou Stain?

Objective: To standardize an inexpensive and rapid Papanicolaou staining technique with limited ethanol usage.

Study Design: Smears from 200 patients were collected (2 per patient) and fixed in methanol. Half were subjected to conventional Papanicolaou and half to stain ing with rapid, economical, acetic acid Papanicolaou (REAP) stain. In REAP, pre-OG6 and post-OG6 and post-EA36 ethanol baths were replaced by 1% acetic acid and Scott's tap water with tap water. Hematoxylin was preheated to 60 degrees C. Final dehydration was with methanol. REAP smears were compared with Papanicolaou smears for optimal cytoplasmic and nuclear staining, stain preservation, cost and turnaround time.

Results: With the REAP method, cytoplasmic and nuclear staining was optimal in 181 and 192 cases, respectively. The staining time was considerably reduced, to 3 minutes, and the cost per smear was reduced to one fourth. The staining quality remained good in all the smears for > 2 years.

Conclusion: REAP is a rapid, cost-effective alternative to Papanicolaou stain. Though low stain penetration in large cell clusters is a limitation, final interpretation was not compromised.