Normal salivary  gland, Wright's stain, 100x

Normal salivary  gland, Wright's stain, 400x

Aspiration samples obtained from epithelial lesions are associated with a typical appearance during cytological analysis.  Epithelial cells will tend to be found in clumps or aggregates due to their intercellular adherence. This is especially evident on low magnification where many islets, or clusters, of cells can be observed across the slide. On the periphery of the islets, one may note individual cells which will have exfoliated. The tendency of cells to adhere to one another will depend on the type of lesion involved and the cells’ outline will be more or less defined depending on the cell type.

Note that in the microphotograph illustrating normal salivary gland cells, these seem to coalesce. Due to their secretory nature, these cells tend to be vacuolated and have a foamy appearance. To observe other types of glandular epithelial cells click here . To see other types of (non-glandular) epithelial cells click here. To see prostate cells, click here.