Role of slit skin smear examination in cutaneous T-cell lymphomas and other chronic dermatoses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of slit-skin smear examination in the diagnosis of various chronic dermatoses. The study included 24 patients with chronic dermatoses who presented to the skin outpatient department. Ten patients had idiopathic erythroderma, seven were diagnosed with airborne contact dermatitis, four had cutaneous Tcell lymphoma, two had chronic actinic dermatoses, and a single patient had panniculitis. Slit skin smears were obtained from all patients, stained with Leishman stain, and examined under microscope. Out of 24 patients, all four cases of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma showed abnormal cells suggestive of lymphomatous infiltration, two patients with airborne contact dermatitis showed reactive lymphocytes, and two idiopathic erythroderma cases showed numerous eosinophils in the smear. Slit skin smear examination is a simple rapid, decisive test in the diagnosis of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. It is a useful screening test, especially in Sezary syndrome and diseases with specific skin infiltrate.