Role of imprint cytology in the intraoperative diagnosis of pituitary adenomas

The cytologic touch imprint alone can be diagnostic of pituitary adenomas and meningiomas, etc. A 45‐year‐old man was operated upon for intracranial meningioma. Imprint cytology revealed distinct cytologic features which helped arriving at the specific diagnosis of pituitary adenoma intraoperatively. Subsequent histopathology and immuno‐histochemistry confirmed the diagnosis. Thus intraoperative touch preparations are of immense help in arriving at a diagnosis as well as in excluding other possible differential diagnoses and therefore can replace frozen section for intraoperative consultations of sellar and parasellar tumors. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2011;39:138–140. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.