Engineering:Ayre's spatula

An Ayre spatula (bottom) with a slide holding bottle

Ayre spatula is a device used to collect Pap smear. It is a wooden spatula with U shaped openings on one side and a flat surface on another. The broad end is for vaginal sample collection and the narrow end is for cervical sample collection. It is rotated 360 degrees in the vagina to obtain the cells to be sent for Pap smear examination. Recent studies have shown that long-tipped spatulas (Aylesbury device) or a cytobrush along with an extended-tip spatula are better than Ayre spatula in collecting endocervical cells. However, Ayre spatula continues to be used for cervical sample collection in less-income countries. Ayre spatula is introduced into the cervix after visualizing the os using a speculum. The cytology specimens are obtained by rotating the spatula firmly over the ectocervix and quickly transferring the cells to a slide or jar.