What are the brushes used in cytology?

Here are some common types of brushes used for cytology sampling:

- Cytobrush - A brush with dense, soft bristles designed specifically for collecting cytology specimens. Cytobrushes come in various sizes for different applications.

- Bristle brush - Stiffer bristle brush that can be used to collect cells when a cytobrush is not available. The stiffness helps scrape cells.

- Endoscopic cytology brush - A specialty brush that attaches to the end of an endoscope to collect samples from inside the body. The bristles are arranged to efficiently collect cells when rotated against a surface.

- Cervical brushes - Small brushes designed specifically to collect samples from the cervix. They have soft, tapered bristles arranged in a spiral pattern on the tip.

- Bronchial brushes - Stiffer brushes are made to collect samples by brushing the bronchial airway walls through a bronchoscope.

- Fine needle aspiration brushes - Very thin brushes that fit inside fine needles used for aspiration procedures. Allows sampling of solid masses through the needle.

- Uterine cell sampling brush - Brushes designed for collecting samples from along the endometrium by rotating the brush within the uterine cavity.

- Esophageal brushes - Brushes with dense bristles for collecting esophageal cells, often used for Barrett's esophagus surveillance.