Laboratories: General - Hormone - Cytology

The Papaniocolaou (Pap) test is the standard of care for early detection and prevention of cervical cancer. The conventional Pap test was based on microscopic review of a cervical specimen smeared on a slide and stained. Though successful in reducing the evidence of invasive cancer, the conventional Pap test was limited, and there were no technological advancements for about 50 years.

In the late 1990's a new FDA-approved, automated, liquid-based technology was introduced. The ThinPrep Pap Test took the Pap testing to the next level. The ThinPrep Pap became the only liquid-based pap test found to be "significantly more effective" than the conventional pap smear. The technology substantially improved the number of satisfactory samples and improved disease detection by identifying more squamous intra-epithelial lesions. Fixed cells are filtered as a thin layer on a slide and stained. Epithelial cells, diagnostically relevant cells, and infectious organisms are more clearly visible. Liquid-based technology results in a dramatic reduction in unsatisfactory slides relative to the conventional (non-liquid based) prepared slides.

OGA Cytology Processing Techs have years of experiencing in the processing and staining of ThinPrep Pap tests. All our cyto-technologists are certified annually and registered with the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP).