Peripheral Blood Film

Question 1

What are acanthocytes?

Answer 1

spicules on RBCs due to unstable RBC membraen lipid structure

Question 2

What are the causes of acanthocytes?

Answer 2

splenectomy; alcoholic liver disease; abetalipoproteinaemia; spherocytosis

Question 3

What is anisocytosis?

Answer 3

variation in RBC size

Question 4

When is anisocytosis seen?

Answer 4

megaloblastic anaemia; thalassaemia; IDA

Question 5

What is basophilic RBC stippling?

Answer 5

denatured RNA foudn in RBCs indicating acclereated erythropoiesis or defected Hb synthesis

Question 6

What conditions can cause basophilic RBC stippling?

Answer 6

lead poisoning; megaloblastic anaemia; myelodysplasia; liver disease; haemologinopath

Question 7

What are blasts?

Answer 7

nucleated precursor cells

Question 8

What are Burr cells (echinocytes)?

Answer 8

RBC projections but less marked than in acanthocytes

Question 9

What causes Burr cells?

Answer 9

liver or renal failure

Question 10

When are Cabot rings seen?

Answer 10

pernicious anaemia; lead poisoning; bad infections

Question 11

What are howell-jolly bodies/

Answer 11

DNA nuclear remnants in RBCs normally removed by the spleen

Question 12

What is left shift?

Answer 12

immature neutrophils released from the marrow

Question 13

What are the causes of hypochromia?

Answer 13

IDA; thalassaemia; sideroblastic anaemia

Question 14

What are pappenheimer bodies?

Answer 14

granules of siderocytes containing iron

Question 15

When are pappenheimer bodies seen?

Answer 15

lead poisoning; carcinomatosis; post-splenectomy

Question 16

What is poikilocytosis?

Answer 16

variation in RBC shape

Question 17

When is poikilocytosis seen?

Answer 17

IDA; myelofibrosis; thalassameia

Question 18

What is right shift?

Answer 18

hyper mature white cells, hypersegmented polymorphs

Question 19

When is right shift seen?

Answer 19

megaloblastic anaemia; uraemia; liver disease

Question 20

What is rouleaux formation?

Answer 20

red cells stack on each other causing raised ESR

Question 21

What causes rouleaux formation?

Answer 21

chronic inflammation; paraproteinaemia; myelom

Question 22

What are schistocytes?

Answer 22

fragmented RBCs sliced by fibrin bands in intravascular haemolysis

Question 23

When conditions are spherocytes found in?

Answer 23

hereditary spherocytosis; AI haemolytic anaemia

Question 24

What are target cells?

Answer 24

RBCs with central staining; ring of pallor and outer rim of staining

Question 25

when are target cells seen?

Answer 25

liver disease; hyposplenism; thalassamiea; IDA

Question 26

When are tear-drop RBCs seen?

Answer 26

extramedullary haematopoiesis