01883nas a2200229   4500000000100000008004100001653001200042653002600054653002500080653002000105653001000125100001300135700001500148700001100163700001500174700001200189245011500201856006700316300001000383490000600393520125400399       2017                            d10aleprosy10aSlit Skin Smear (SSS)10aTertiary care centre10aDiagnostic tool10aIndia1 aSoneja S1 aMalhotra A1 aDevi P1 aMalhotra S1 aSingh B00aSensitivity of Slit Skin Smear examination in suspected Leprosy cases in a tertiary care centre: Rising trends  uhttps://wwjournals.com/index.php/ijsr/article/viewFile/856/850  a34-350 v63 a<p><strong>Introduction:</strong> Conventional diagnosis of leprosy in a tertiary care centre. <strong>Objective:</strong> To study the sensitivity of Slit Skin Smear (SSS) examination in patients suspected of Leprosy in a Medical College Hospital from Jan 2012-Dec 2016. <strong>Method:</strong> A retrospective study from Jan 2012 to Dec 2016 was made to study the number of smear positive cases from among the skin samples submitted to the Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College, Amritsar. Smears were collected from eight sites, stained by the ZN method and checked for the presence of AFB under oil immersion lens. <strong>Results:</strong> Of the 363 sets of slides examined, 114 were found positive. Five year sensitivity on average was 31.4% with a significant increase in AFB positivity noted every year from 21.2% to 42.35%. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> SSS as a diagnostic tool is increasingly losing its place to molecular tests which are still limited to a few centres. Now that the country has achieved its elimination target of Prevalence Rate of &lt;1/ 10,000 population, it is imperative to use all resources at our disposal so as not to lose any leprosy patient walking in through our General health services.</p>