cytology of the nose in nasal allergy

Nasal allergy can be diagnosed by detailed and acc- urate history, clinical examination t and investigations. A cytogram or study of a stained nasal smear is one of the older, reliable examinations for nasal allergy. A probe thinly wounded with cotton, is passed gently along the floor of the nose and up under the inferior turbinate three times in each nostril, the contents of the probe rolled, not smeared, onto the slide and should immediate- ly be inserted in either 95% alcohol or a mixture of equal parts of ether and alcohol 95% for fixation. Staining can be done with many stains for example, Giemsa, Wright Hansel or Papanicoloau stain which should follow immediately the fiXation while the slide is still wet. When this is impos- sible it can be protected by covering the smear with hair spray until ready for staining. When ready to stain the hair spray can be removed by immersion in 80% alcohol. The application of stains of known chemical propert - ies has increased the understanding of the pathologic pr- ocesses. The electron microscope reveals additional intersting ultrastructural aspects of the colummar nasal cells, and