Hologic ThinPrep 5000, Operator'S Manual, Page: 254 / 346

ThinPrep™ 5000 Processor with AutoLoader Operator’s Manual
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O
PERATING
I
NSTRUCTIONS
OPTIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR ANCILLARY TESTING
Testing for certain sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) in
conjunction with cytology may be enabled by the removal of an aliquot of up to 4 mL (Aliquot
Removal) from the PreservCyt
™
sample vial before preparing the ThinPrep Pap test slide.
Laboratory personnel must follow the specific instructions in this section to appropriately remove
the desired aliquot volume and prepare the PreservCyt sample vial for the ThinPrep
™
Pap test.
Adherence to these instructions must be maintained to ensure there is no adverse effect on the
ThinPrep Pap test result.
Because cytology/HPV testing and STD testing address different clinical questions, Aliquot Removal
may not be suitable for all clinical situations. Physicians and other persons responsible for ordering
clinical tests should be familiar with the following:
• There is no evidence of degradation of cytology results by Aliquot Removal, however, this
cannot be ruled out for all specimens. As with any subsampling step in anatomic pathology,
chance misallocation of diagnostic cells may occur but they are very rare. If negative results
from the specimen do not fit with the clinical impression, a new specimen may be necessary.
• Aliquot Removal from low-cellularity specimens may leave insufficient material in the
PreservCyt sample vial for preparation of a satisfactory ThinPrep Pap test slide.
• Aliquot Removal may leave insufficient material in the PreservCyt sample vial for
performance of ancillary testing (e.g., reflexive HPV testing) using the residual specimen
following preparation of a ThinPrep Pap test slide.
• Co-collection of separate samples for the ThinPrep Pap test and STD testing may be
considered in lieu of Aliquot Removal.
• When opting for concurrent cytologic and STD testing, providers should consider risk and
clinical history (e.g., disease prevalence, patient age, sexual history or pregnancy) as well as
specimen suitability (e.g., exudates or bleeding) that can impact diagnostic reliability.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines 2002 (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, MMWR 2002: 51(No. RR-6)) provides clinical guidance for the management and
treatment of individual patients, including use of Pap testing.
I t is contraindicated to perform Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae testing, using
the Roche Diagnostics COBAS AMPLICOR CT/NG Test, if the sample has already been
processed using the ThinPrep 5000 processor.
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