The Barr body is the inactive X chromosome in a female somatic cell. It is 
readily identified as plano-convex structure of 2-3 micron in diameter on the 
periphery of the nuclear membrane. The aim of this study is to evaluate the 
significance of Barr body count in malignant ovarian tumors on fine needle 
aspiration cytology (FNAC) smears. In this retrospective study, Barr body was 
counted in FNAC smears of 20 successive malignant ovarian lesions and expressed 
as percentage. Mean (±SD) Barr body score was 2.4 ± 2.58. Minimum Barr body 
count was 1 and maximum was 9. The gross reduction of Barr body in ovarian 
neoplasms is an interesting cytomorphologic finding.