ReviewCytopathology : official journal of the British Society for Clinical Cytology2026
Decoverslipping of Archival Cytology Aspirate Smears for Ancillary Studies: A Review of Methods and Institutional Experience With Freezer-Based Techniques.
Review in Cytopathology : official journal of the British Society for Clinical Cytology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
introductionArchival cytology aspirate smears are increasingly used for ancillary testing, yet decoverslipping remains a practical bottleneck. This study reviews published decoverslipping methodologies and evaluates freezer-based strategies for aspirate smears.
methodsPublished decoverslipping techniques were reviewed and compared with respect to turnaround time, tissue preservation, safety and suitability for downstream applications. An institutional study at MD Anderson Cancer Center evaluated freezer-based decoverslipping (-20°C and -80°C) of archival aspirate smears (40 cases, 80 slides) across four freeze-duration groups (1-2 min, 3-5 min, 10 min and 15 min).
resultsAspirate smears prepared with thick xylene-based mounting media and rigid glass coverslips were consistently resistant to cold-based removal, with complete removal achieved in only 26 of 80 slides (32.5%), corresponding to 22 of 76 evaluable aspirate slides (28.9%). The highest per-slide success rate was observed at 10 min (15/40; 37.5%). A directional advantage for -80°C over -20°C was apparent but insufficient to overcome the fundamental resistance of this preparation type. Marked intra-case variability indicated that slide-specific factors were the dominant determinants of outcome.
conclusionMounting-media thickness and coverslip composition are primary determinants of decoverslipping success and represent under-recognised preanalytical variables. These findings underscore the need to align coverslipping workflows with anticipated downstream ancillary testing requirements.
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