Insert the needle into the mass and use it as a cutting tool. When you start to see material in the hub, stop, release negative pressure on the syringe, and pull out to make the slides. Do not aspirate material into the syringe or dilute with blood or saline. This interferes with making good direct smears. If you do not see any material at all in the hub or syringe, continue the short 5 mm strokes until you have done 15-20 strokes.
Many physicians use no local anesthesia.
If you decide to give a local, please avoid aspirating the local anesthetic into the needle. It will dilute as well as distort the specimen. Avoid aspirating the material from the needle into the syringe. Touch the end of the needle to the end of the glass slide and express one to two drops of material. Place a second slide on top of the first, allowing the drop to spread, then gently pull slides apart toward opposite end.