A wide variety of safe and effective methods is now available for obtaining a cytological diagnosis in patients with biliary strictures.

The 1988 Bethesda System for reporting cervical/vaginal cytological diagnoses.

Sampling directly from the pancreatic duct provides a more proximate sample for cytological diagnosis and may improve the diagnostic sensitivity.

Comparisons of both Chinese and U.S. cytological diagnoses with concurrent histological findings showed low (14% to 36%) sensitivities for the cytological detection of biopsy-proven cancers.

Garcia LW, Ducatman BS, Wang HH: The value of multiple fluid specimens in the cytological diagnosis of malignancy.