The Tzanck smear is a simple, sensitive, and rapid test to diagnose pemphigus vulgaris
(PV), a life threatening autoimmune blistering disorder. The presence of acantholytic cells in
cytology is indicative of but not specific for PV. Hence, a direct Immunofluorescence (DIF)
test to demonstrate immunoglobulin deposits on the acantholytic cells would make the
Tzanck test more specific, in addition to being a rapid test. Twenty untreated patients with PV
confirmed histopathologically were enrolled to evaluate the efficacy of using DIF technique …

BACKGROUND The Tzanck smear is a simple, sensitive, and rapid test to diagnose
pemphigus vulgaris (PV), a life-threatening autoimmune blistering disorder. The presence of
acantholytic cells in cytology is indicative of, but not specific for PV. Hence, a direct
Immunofluorescence (DIF) test to demonstrate immunoglobulin deposits on the acantholytic
cells would make the Tzanck test more specific, and rapid. The DIF smears were compared
with DIF on skin biopsies in the same patient to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy. Aims and …