Referring to a Pap smear specimen as Cytyc means that the smear was placed in a liquid vial by the obtaining physician. The vial, after receipt and accession (application of an identification number), is processed mechanically to apply a proportion of the cells from the vial to a glass slide. The remaining cells are preserved for potential short-term future testing (e.g., genetic testing) and replication of Pap smear slides. It also provides for a much better diagnostic yield by preventing inflammatory cells from obscuring the field and preventing cell clumping. This process thus represents an improvement over traditional Pap smear processing. The machine used to process properly a Cytyc specimen is known as a “ThinPrep Processor.” That machine is the core of the Cytyc Pap smear processing system. This method of processing of the liquid-based Pap smear is the standard method used for processing this type of specimen.
Cytyc/ThinPrep Pap smear evaluation medical expert witness specialties include pathology, cytopathology, and (medical) genetics.