- smear
- A thin specimen for examination; it is usually prepared by spreading material uniformly onto a glass slide, fixing it, and staining it before examination.- alimentary tract s. a group of cytologic specimens containing material from the mouth (oral s.), esophagus and stomach (gastric s.), duodenum (paraduodenal s.), and colon, obtained by specialized lavage techniques; used principally for the diagnosis of cancer of those areas.- buccal s. a cytologic s. containing material obtained by scraping the lateral buccal mucosa above the dentate line, smearing, and fixing immediately; used principally for determining somatic sex as indicated by the presence of the sex chromocenter (Barr body).- cervical s. a generic name for different types of smears of the cervix uteri, e.g., ectocervical, endocervical, pancervical; used principally for cervical screening.- cul-de-sac s. a cytologic specimen of material obtained by aspirating the pouch of Douglas from the posterior vaginal fornix and prepared by smearing, centrifuging, or filtering; used principally for ovarian cancer.- cytologic s. a type of cytologic specimen made by smearing a sample (obtained by a variety of methods from a number of sites), then fixing it and staining it, usually with 95% ethyl alcohol and Papanicolaou stain. SYN: cytosmear.- ectocervical s. a cytologic s. of material obtained from the ectocervix, usually by scraping; used principally for the diagnosis of late cervical cancers involving the ectocervix.- endocervical s. a cytologic s. of material obtained from the endocervical canal by swab, aspiration, or scraping; used principally for the detection of early cervical cancer.- endometrial s. a group of cytologic smears containing material obtained directly from the endometrium by aspiration, lavage, or brushing of the uterine cavity.- fast s. a cytologic s. containing material from the vaginal pool and pancervical scrapings, mixed and prepared on one microscopic slide, smeared, and fixed immediately; used principally for routine screening of ovaries, endometrium, cervix, vagina, and hormonal states.- lateral vaginal wall s. a cytologic s. containing material obtained by scraping the lateral wall of the vagina near the junction of its upper and middle third; used for cytohormonal evaluation.- lower respiratory tract s. a group of cytologic specimens containing material from the lower respiratory tract and consisting mainly of sputum (spontaneous, induced) and material obtained at bronchoscopy (aspirated, lavaged, brushed); used for cytologic study of cancer and other diseases of the lungs. SYN: bronchoscopic s., sputum s..- pancervical s. a cytologic s. of material obtained from the endocervical canal, external os, and ectocervix by scraping these areas with a properly designed cervical spatula; used principally for early cervical cancer detection.- Papanicolaou s. SYN: Pap s..- urinary s. a group of cytologic specimens containing processed urine obtained from bladder, ureters, or renal pelvis; used for cytologic study of cancer and other diseases of the urinary tract.- vaginal s. a s. of debris from the vaginal lumen of mammals, used to determine the stage of their reproductive cycle. It is most useful in subprimate mammals having short estrous cycles; nucleated epithelial cells and leukocytes prevail in the s. during diestrus and proestrus, and cornified cells during estrus.- VCE s. a cytologic s. of material obtained from the vagina, ectocervix, and endocervix, smeared separately (in that order) on one slide, and fixed immediately; used principally for the detection of cervical cancer and identification of the sites of diseases of those areas, and for hormonal evaluation.
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smear 'smi(ə)r n material spread on a surface (as of a microscopic slide) also a preparation made by spreading material on a surface see PAP SMEAR, vaginal smearsmear vt to prepare as a smear for microscopic examination: make a smear of* * *
n.a specimen of tissue or other material taken from part of the body and smeared on a microscope slide for examination. See cervical smear.* * *
(smēr) a specimen for microscopic study prepared by spreading the material across the glass slide.
Medical dictionary. 2011.
