BACKGROUND Pemphigus is one of the potentially fatal autoimmune blistering diseases. An early and accurate diagnosis is important for prognosis and therapy. It may be difficult to diagnosis based on clinical grounds alone. Direct and indirect immunofluorescence, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the Tzanck smear test, or histopathology are all available for the diagnosis of pemphigus. However,...

Background: The diagnosis of herpes simplex virus may requirevirological confirmation. Tzanck smear is an old, rapid, costeffective but nonspecific method that has been recently re-evaluatedas a method for the diagnosis of herpes virus infection. This studywas conducted to compare Tzanck smear and viral culture in thediagnosis of herpes simplex virus infection in patients clinicallysuspected to...

Blistering diseases are alarming skin conditions where blister formation occurs in various ways and cannot be differentiated clinically. For confirmation of diagnosis, along with routine histological examination, immunofluorescence study is essential. Tzanck smear may be used as a rapid diagnostic tool. We included here 34 cases of different blistering lesions. Other than routine Hematoxylin an...

In 126 patients with anogenital lesions, in which herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection was suspected or included in the differential diagnosis, the results of cytodiagnosis of herpetic infection (Tzanck smear) were compared with virus culture. Cervical lesions were excluded from this study. HSV infection was proved by culture in 78 patients and was absent or non-active in 41 patients. Excluded ...

Diagnostic cytology is a relatively new science. Cytology (Greek word: kytos = hollow vessel) is the study of individual cells and their intrinsic characteristics and functions. George Papanicolaou is considered the father of exfoliative cytology, but cytology was first used in cutaneous disorders by Tzanck in 1947, for the diagnosis of vesiculo-bullous disorders, particularly herpes simplex. S...