Abstract: Objective To establish the diagnosis of amniotic fluid embolism with blood samples by liquid-based cytology technique and to study the validity of method. Methods The blood samples were collected from patients who suffered from amniotic fluid embolism. The components of amniotic fluid in blood samples were examined with blood smear by two direct smear methods （supernatant smear, sediment smear） and two liquid-based cytology methods （automatic smear, manual smear）. The positive detection rate of each method was calculated. Results The positive detection rates of two liquid-based cytology methods （84.6% and 92.3%, respectively） were much higher than those of two direct methods （53.8% and 61.5%, respectively）. Conclusion The liquid-based cytology technique could improve the positive detection rate of amniotic fluid embolism.

Key words:  forensic pathology, embolism, amniotic fluid, liquid cytology