The Busy Vet's Guide to Cytology

Nicholas Marsh, BVSc, Dip. ACVP (Clin Path), MRCVS - Clinical Pathologist, Synlab, VPG Exeter UK. Nick Marsh qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Bristol University in 1999, and saw in the millennium with a seizuring poodle. He spent 16 years in general practice before joining the team at VPG Exeter in 2015, where his love for blobs and purple splats grew to obsessive heights. He received his diploma in clinical pathology from the American Society for Veterinary Pathology in 2021. He spends his time off playing games of all kinds, being cruel to pot plants and, occasionally, writing.

Preface



Note on magnification, staining, percentages and differential counts



Textbook format



PART ONE – CYTOLOGICAL BASICS



1 Cytology explained



2 Sampling and preparation



3 The basics of cytology



4 General principles of cytology



5 Infectious agents 



PART TWO – CYTOLOGY OF SPECIFIC LOCATION



6 Skin and subcutaneous lesions



 



 



7 Gastrointestinal system



 



8 Genitourinary system



 



9 Respiratory system



 



10 Lymph nodes, spleen and thymus



11 Muscle, bone and synovial fluid



12 Cavity effusions



13 Blood films



PART THREE – FURTHER THOUGHTS ON CYTOLOGY



14 ‘Edge cases’



15 Submitting to an external lab



16 Digital and remote cytology



APPENDICES



A. Summary of cell examination and description



B. Decoding pathology reports – a cytological glossary



C. Backgrounds



D. Common crystals



E. Species/sex/breed predispositions



F. Further staining and extra tests



G. Mitotic figures



H. Pathology jokes



Bibliography



Index