Imprint cytology in the intraoperative diagnosis of malignant melanoma

Imprints were prepared from 73 pigmented skin lesions, 19 of which were diagnosed as malignant melanoma. The cytologic findings in malignant melanoma, large clusters of cells with loss of cellular cohesiveness and large pleomorphic nuclei, were positive in 17 of the 19 cases. In other malignant and benign pigmented lesions the few cells adherent to the glass showed characteristic cytologic features of the particular lesion. Imprint cytology seems to be a valuable adjunct to the examination of frozen sections for the intraoperative diagnosis of malignant melanoma.