DETRITUS IN MEDICINE from the Latin DETRITUS desecho m . Waste material resulting from the breakdown of tissues or cells. A positive DETRITUS in a Pap smear only indicates the presence of dead cells, something completely normal, since all the cells in our body are born, grow, reproduce and die. Cells live on average between 7 and 10 years, but this is very variable as some last a few hours and others several decades. For example, neutrophil cells (a type of white blood cell, see blood) can last only two days, while the cells in the center of the eye lenses (lens) will be the same for a lifetime. There are even brain cells that could transcend a person's life if they were transplanted into another brain.
