Vet Clin Small Anim 33 (2003) ix–x

Preface

Cytology, part II

Rick L. Cowell, DVM, MS

Guest Editor

Cytology continues to be an important tool in the clinical workup of

many medical and surgical cases in small animal practice. It allows for rapid
diagnosis or identification of a process so that appropriate therapy can be
provided quickly and cost-effectively. Accurate cytologic interpretation
requires not only microscopic evaluation but also proper sample collection,
smearing, and staining techniques.
The primary objectives of this issue of the Veterinary Clinics of North
America: Small Animal Practice are to provide practitioners with practical
information on cutaneous lesions, lymph nodes, renal aspirates, splenic as-
pirates, abdominal and thoracic effusions, bronchoalveolar lavage, and
synovial fluid. With these objectives in mind, each article contains both
written descriptions and high-quality illustrations to characterize important
features.
I hope you find this issue and the previous one (Cytology, Part I) to be
practical and useful sources of information for both the beginning and expe-
rienced cytologist. I would like to thank the staff at W.B. Saunders for their
help and editing skills. It was a privilege to work with each of the excellent
diagnostic cytologists who served as authors for this issue. I recognize the
time and effort it took to put these articles together, and I cannot thank

0195-5616/03/$ - see front matter Ó 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
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x R.L. Cowell / Vet Clin Small Anim 33 (2003) ix–x

them enough for their willingness to share their many talents and high level
of expertise in cytopathology.

Rick L. Cowell, DVM, MS

Department of Veterinary Pathobiology
Oklahoma State University
250 McElroy Hall
Stillwater, OK 74078-2007
E-mail address: rlcowel@okstate.edu