Taking a smear from the urethra is an analysis performed by a male urologist. It can be carried out in order to prevent or in cases of severity of symptoms of various diseases. A scraping that allows you to diagnose the presence of pathogenic bacteria or signs of an inflammatory process is taken from the urethra, urethra. What is a cylindrical epithelium in a smear in men, we will understand in this article.
In what cases is this analysis prescribed?
For the prevention of diseases, this smear should be taken systematically. But often a man seeks help from a specialist even if there is an unpleasant sensation of the genitals. The doctor prescribes a smear if there is suspicion of the development of a patient of any disease of the genitourinary system or when observing obvious deviations from the norm. Also, indications for the purpose of the analysis are taking antibiotics for a long time and conducting a routine examination.
Symptomatology
Symptoms that are indicative of the mandatory appointment of a smear:
- Sensations of pain, heaviness and discomfort observed in men in the genital area.
- Complaints of burning and itching in the urethra.
- The appearance of a rash on the penis.
- Rapid, painful urination and other related problems.
- Observation of pathological discharge from the urethra.
- The appearance of swelling in the genital area and groin, the appearance of discharge from the penis or blood in urine and semen.
If you have unpleasant symptoms, you should immediately visit a doctor, take a smear and do an analysis for the presence of genital infections. What the epithelium in the smear means depends on the characteristics of its cells and their structure and quantity.
Why is a cylindrical epithelium detected in a smear in men? We will tell you more about this later.
What is determined by a smear from the urethra? Various sexually transmitted diseases, the presence of pathogens, the progression of the inflammatory process.
What is determined in a smear in men?
In a smear from the genitals in men, the presence of the following parameters is revealed:
- White blood cells.
- Epithelial cells.
- Slime.
- Microflora (by what type of microorganism is the flora represented).
- Gonococci, Trichomonas, fungi of the genus Candida.
- Cytomegalovirus.
- Herpes simplex virus.
Preparing for the test
Before going to a doctor, a man needs to prepare the body:
- Wash a few hours before taking a genital specialist to take an analysis.
- Refrain from sexual intercourse for approximately two days before a doctor's appointment.
- Before a visit to the doctor, it is recommended not to urinate for two to three hours, so that the microflora of the urethra is not washed off.
- It is also advised to refuse to take medications two weeks before the test for flora. In the case of taking antibacterial drugs, an analysis will be prescribed seven days after the course of treatment ends, since it cannot be interrupted.
Proper preparation for the smear will allow you to most accurately determine the number of cells in it and assess the health status of the reproductive system. Epithelium in a smear indicates the condition of the mucosa. With a change in the norm, we can conclude that there is inflammation or atrophy of the epithelial layer.
Cylindrical epithelium in a smear in men is an important indicator.
When a specialist has reason to believe that there is a latent infection in a patient, he can recommend a provocation that increases the manifestation of symptoms and improves diagnostic indicators. As a provocation, they can offer a man the use of gonovaccine; arranging dinner, consisting of salty, spicy, fatty and smoked dishes, before passing the analysis; taking a small dose of alcohol; taking a hot bath or visiting the sauna.
Then reveal the cylindrical epithelium in a smear in men? Decryption should only be carried out by the attending physician.
How is a smear taken from a man?
There is no difficulty in taking a smear, so it is done quickly. Instruments for the procedure are:
- tampon and urethro-genital probe;
- bacteriological loop;
- Volkman's spoon;
- cotton swab.
Instruments must be sterile and new. They are inserted into the opening of the penis of a man for two to four centimeters, scroll a number of times and take out using rotational movements. Then the doctor should take the instrument with the taken material into a sterile tube or make a smear on a glass slide. The duration of the procedure is no more than three minutes. So the cylindrical epithelium in the smear in men is revealed.
In some cases, a prostate or urethra massage is preliminarily performed to take a smear. The prostate gland is massaged through the rectum, for which a dense bouge is used, which is introduced into the urethra along the entire length. Such actions contribute to improving the sensitivity of the analysis and the identification of latent diseases.
The procedure for taking biomaterial in a man can be painful, with a feeling of discomfort. After the manipulation, discomfort can be felt for several hours. But after a while completely pass.
If the smear is performed correctly, it should contain cells of the glandular, stratified squamous, cylindrical epithelium, an insignificant number of neutrophils, and mucus. An early pathology of the male and female genital tracts can be detected using the state of each type of cell and the ratio of components. So, we consider in more detail the cylindrical epithelium in a smear in men. A large number can talk about pathology.
Epithelium - what is it?
Integumentary epithelial cells protect all organ and tissue surfaces. The lining of the fabric has a different thickness and structure, which depends on the intensity of the mechanical load and its functions. The skin, which is subject to the greatest external impact, is covered by a stratified squamous keratinized epithelium. Separate urogenital, respiratory and digestive tracts are lined with multilayer, which can be explained by the close external environment and frequent contacts with microbial agents.
Squamous epithelium in men
In the external genital tract, the integuments are not uniform. When the basal layer (young) matures, it seems to repel it from the membrane. As a result, it changes its size and cell shape. The cytogram contains the flat epithelium of the surface layer, that is, the most mature elements with abundant cytoplasm and a small nucleus.
Cylindrical
The bulk of the smear is made up of squamous epithelial cells. However, among them you can find small groups of cylindrical.
Epithelial cells peel off the surface of the mucous membrane that covers the urethra. These are such cellular structures. Normally, a genital swab can contain from five to ten epithelial cells in the field of view. If more than ten epithelial cells are found in the smear, then this indicates an inflammatory process in the urethra (urethritis). Acute inflammation in a smear increases white blood cells and epithelial cells. Chronic inflammation may not provoke an increase in the number of white blood cells, but epithelial cells will always be more than normal.
Cylindrical epithelium in a smear in men: normal
The quantitative and qualitative composition of the smear taken for cytology may depend on two factors: the correctness of taking the biomaterial for cytology and the condition of the patient's genital tract. Urethral and squamous epithelium should appear on the glass. Only then will a specialist be able to evaluate the material for diagnosis properly.
Laboratory analysis of a man normally includes cells of the urethral and multilayer flat type. The urethra is lined with many rows and is not divided into layers, like the cervix in women. This is the reason that the urethral component is represented by the same cellular elements - prismatic transitional type. May also include the inclusion of urine, a few salt crystals. Single cocci are allowed, but not more than five elements of the inflammatory series (leukocytes, neutrophils).
What does it mean if there is a large amount of epithelium in the smear?
We consider the cylindrical epithelium in a smear in men. A lot of it happens with various pathologies. Which ones, we will understand further.
With a normal cytogram, a smear on the flora contains twelve to twenty epithelial cells per field of view. With an excess content of the squamous component, we can talk about the presence of irritation, accelerated rejection of the integumentary layer. The cause may be the inflammatory process of various etiologies. In this case, the specialist should see a large number of white blood cells (the norm is no more than five). Often, the following pathogens can be detected: viral inclusions, Trichomonas, gonococci.
If there are no inflammatory elements, it is worth thinking about leukoplakia and other types of dyskeratosis. An allergic reaction to local medicines appears in a similar way.
It also happens that the flat epithelium in the smear in men is moderately elevated.
In men, the cytological picture varies. With age, an increase in the squamous component is possible, the amount of which should not be higher than 15 units in one field of view. With an abundance of leukocytes, epithelial masses and mucus impurities, we can talk about the presence of an inflammatory process. However, one should not resort to self-medication, since it can lead to the elimination of symptoms, but will not help cure the disease.
We examined the cylindrical epithelium in a smear in men. What this means has become clear. We hope that the information provided was useful to you. Be healthy!