Hematology

Question 1

What does CBC stand for?

Answer 1

Complete Blood Count

Question 2

What does Hgb measurement stand for? What does it measure

Answer 2

Hemoglobin measurement: Grams of hemoglobin per microliter of whole blood

Question 3

What are you measuring with a RBC count

Answer 3

The number of RBCs per microliter of whole blood

Question 4

What are you measuring with a Hct measurement?

Answer 4

Hematocrit: Percentage of whole blood volume composed of RBCs

Question 5

What is MCV?

Answer 5

Mean Corpuscular Volume: Average size of RBC’s in femtoliters (a
femtoliter is 1 x 10-15 liters)

Question 6

What is RDW?

Answer 6

RBC Distribution width: Percent variation in size of the RBC population

Question 7

What is MCH

Answer 7

Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin: Average weight of hemoglobin per RBC in picograms

Question 8

What is MCHC?

Answer 8

Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC): Average concentration of hemoglobin per
RBC in grams per deciliter

Question 9

What is a WBC count?

Answer 9

The number of WBCs per microliter of whole blood

Question 10

What is a Differential count?

Answer 10

The percentage and absolute number of each WBC

Question 11

What are the 5 types of WBC’s

Answer 11

1. Neutrophils (also known as “Segs”)
2. Lymphocytes
3. Monocytes
4. Eosinophils
5. Basophils

Question 12

What is Platelet count?

Answer 12

The number of platelets per microliter of whole blood

Question 13

What is MPV?

Answer 13

Mean platelet volume: Average platelet size in femtoliters

Question 14

Define: Anemia

Answer 14

Decreased number of RBCs

Question 15

Define: Polycythemia

Answer 15

Increased number of RBCs

Question 16

Define: Rouleaux

Answer 16

RBCs that form stacks

Question 17

Define: Agglutination

Answer 17

RBCs that form irregular clumps

Question 18

Define: Microcytosis

Answer 18

Decreased RBC size

Question 19

Define: Macrocytosis

Answer 19

Increased RBC size

Question 20

Define: Anisocytosis

Answer 20

Increased variation in cell size

Question 21

Define: Hypochromia

Answer 21

Decreased pigment (increased pallor)

Question 22

Define: Hyperchromia

Answer 22

Increased pigment (lack of central pallor)

Question 23

Define: Anisochromasia

Answer 23

Increased variation in pigmentation

Question 24

Define: Polychromasia

Answer 24

RBCs with a blue or lilac tinge

Question 25

Define: Poikilocytosis

Answer 25

Increased variation in RBC shape

Question 26

Define: Spherocytosis

Answer 26

Cells that are spherical in shape with lost central pallor

Question 27

Define: Target cell

Answer 27

Cell with strongly staining area in the middle of the central pallor region

Question 28

Define: Schistocyte

Answer 28

Fragmented RBCs that are usually angular

Question 29

Define: Echinocyte

Answer 29

Crenated RBCs with many (20-30) small, regular, blunt projections

Question 30

Define: Acanthocyte

Answer 30

Cell with irregularly distributed small projections

Question 31

What are Howell-Jolly bodies? What do they represent when found?

Answer 31

Round dense staining inclusions, usually toward one edge of the cell; represents a nuclear fragment

Question 32

What are Basophilic stippling? What do they represent when found?

Answer 32

The presence of small basophilic inclusions distributed throughout the RBC; represents abnormally staining ribosomes

Question 33

Define: Nucleated RBCs (nRBCs)

Answer 33

RBCs that have not completed maturation and still have a nucleus

Question 34

What is a Lymphoblast

Answer 34

Lymphocyte precursor

Question 35

What are Myeloblast, myelocyte, metamyelocyte

Answer 35

neutrophil, eosinophil,
basophil precursors

Question 36

Where are Platelet clumps usually seen? What can they cause?

Answer 36

Common at edge of a blood smear

Can cause artificially low platelet counts