A new, simple method for intraoperative fast diagnosis.

The suitability of stain-coated, ready-to-use slides (Testsimplets) for routine staining of intraoperative imprint-cytology preparations is discussed. The microscopic preparations are easily and quickly prepared, may be evaluated immediately and, with a slight loss of quality, may be kept for up to a week after application of paraffin to the cover glass. This method produces interpretable slides from cell-rich benign and malignant tumors. It is by no means a complete substitute for the usual fast-section techniques, but may be used in order to save time.