Method for Scraping Cellular Material from Tissue

A method for scraping cellular material from tissue, comprising the steps of:

• providing a fine needle aspiration biopsy needle of elongate, hollow construction having a proximal end, a beveled distal end, and having a uniform diameter along an extent of said needle;
• said beveled distal end being open and forming a first sharp edge adapted to scrape cellular material when said needle is inserted into tissue and displaced from a proximal position to a distal position during insertion;
• forming a slot in said needle near said beveled distal end so that said slot is transversely disposed relative to a longitudinal axis of said needle, so that said slot is angled relative to a transverse axis of said needle such that a bottom of said slot is positioned distal to an opening of said slot, and so that said opening of said slot is in open communication with an exterior surface of said needle;
• forming said slot so that it includes a second sharp edge adapted to scrape tissue of cellular size when said needle is displaced from a distal position to a proximal position;
• communicating a vacuum to said proximal end of said needle so that cellular material removed by said first sharp edge during proximal-to-distal travel of said needle is pulled into a lumen of said needle and so that cellular material removed by said second sharp edge during distal-to-proximal travel of said needle is also pulled into said lumen;
• providing a syringe, an endoscope means having a proximal end in fluid communication with said syringe, and an elongate guide tube means, and positioning said elongate guide tube means within an operating channel of said endoscope means;
• securing said fine needle aspiration biopsy needle to a distal end of said elongate guide tube means;
• positioning said fine needle aspiration biopsy needle in operative relation to a lesion;
• and
• retracting said elongate guide tube means and hence said fine needle aspiration biopsy needle so that cellular material is scraped from said lesion as said fine needle aspiration biopsy needle is pulled from said lesion;
• depositing said cellular material onto a slide, staining said cellular material, and subjecting said cellular material to microscopic inspection in the absence of any need to mechanically slice said cellular material.