Cell Block (CB) procedures have now become an established part of cytological diagnostics because of its pivotal role in diagnosis and ancillary studies. Hence the present study was undertaken to emphasize the role of CB technique over Conventional Smear (CS) in serous effusions and to compare the Plasma-Thrombin (PT) block to Formalin Method block (FM) in assessment of morphological preservation and cellularity. Aim: To obtain simple , cost effective and ideal CB preparation where in maximal

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... mber of cells are displayed within a small area Methods: The sample was divided into three Parts(A,B,C). After centrifugation of all three parts of sample at 3000rpm for 15min -Part A sediment was used to prepare two CS for Papanicolaou (PAP) and May Grunwald Giemsa(MGG) stains. Part B sediment was subjected for 1hr and 24hr fixation in 1:1 solution of 5ml ethylalcohol and 10% formalin. To the Part C sediment 2drops of finger prick plain blood was added, mixed well and allowed to clot. The sediment of Part B and the clot of Part C were then processed for paraffin embedding. Result: 110 fresh effusion samples were evaluated for cellularity , retention of architectural patterns and volume of background. FM block's were inconclusive in 12 cases due to low cellularity. PT block's were all evaluable with best preservation of architecture and pale background. Conclusion: The CB technique revealed better architectural patterns and increased the sensitivity of cytodiagnosis. PT block's had sufficient to abundant cellularity with evenly distributed cells in small area. PT preparation is simple and cost effective.