Identification of Helicobacter pylori by endoscopic crush cytology.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Gastric crush cytology is employed in a variety of situations including diagnosis of malignant disease and the detection of Helicobacter pylori infection. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the usefulness of gastric crush cytology in the detection of H pylori infection. METHODS: Gastric biopsy specimens from 50 patients of gastric or duodenal peptic ulceration were studied by gastric crush cytology, histopathology, bacteriologic culture and rapid urease test and results of various methods compared. RESULTS: Thirty seven patients had H pylori demonstrable in crush smears and 28 in histopathological sections. In 15 patients, the organism was detected by cytology alone and in 6 samples by histopathology alone. There was concordance of 76% between these two morphological techniques. The organism could be cultured from 22 biopsy specimens and urease test was positive in 37 specimens. CONCLUSION: Gastric crush cytology is a useful method for detection of H pylori infection.