Type of Preparation: Conventional Magnification: High Adequacy Description: Air Drying Artifact Cytomorphologic Criteria: Enlarged pale nuclei with loss of nuclear detail. Air dried nuclei flatten out (as opposed to well-fixed cells, which maintain a more 3-dimensional shape), and do not take up stain very well. This leads to enlarged pale appearance. Cytoplasm is also degenerated, and evaluation of cells is difficult. Explanatory Notes: Extensive air drying may mean that a specimen is unsatisfactory (if >75% of cells show air drying). If less extensive, air drying may be mentioned as a quality indicator.