A series of 132 bronchial brushings studied according to a strict protocol, both in obtaining the specimens and their subsequent laboratory preparation, has allowed us to study the cells of the bronchial mucosa in greater detail. Until now the greater part of the work in this field has been on the characteristics of tumour cells and the variability in detecting cancer, slightly neglecting the analysis of normal, inflammatory or dystrophic cells. The brushings were compared to the cytology requests on sputum and/or corresponding aspirations by conventional methods. This work has shown that the different types of normal epithelial cells so recovered, as well as dystrophic cells, have a very different appearance than those same cells when observed using classical cytological methods (on sputa and aspirations). The cyto-pathologist ought to adjust the technique before interpreting the specimens. The differences are due to a better state of conservation of the recovered cells, thanks to improvement in current endoscopic technique. We infer that certain cytological appearances considered pathological until now, using classical expectoration or aspiration, may in reality only be artefacts.
