PREPmate automated processor: comparison of automated and manual methods of liquid-based gynecologic sample preparation.

The development of procedures for fully automated processing of liquid-based gynecologic samples has been the focus of considerable interest to the cytology laboratory. Liquid-based collection and processing technology has been shown to improve sample adequacy, resulting in an overall improvement in quality of sample preparations. PREPmate, an accessory to the PrepStain slide processor, automates the initial enrichment process of mixing and dispensing the specimen over a density gradient. This report describes a study evaluating cellularity and diagnostic reproducibility in SurePath samples processed using the PREPmate accessory compared to samples processed using a manual technique. Samples processed using the PREPmate accessory contained 8.3% more squamous cells. Exact diagnostic reproducibility between preparation types was 83.3%; when considering negative vs. abnormal (ASCUS+), in adequate samples, reproducibility was 100%. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.