Peripheral Blood Smears Flashcards
Anisocytosis
unequal sized RBCs
cellar are are otherwise uniform
Microcytosis
Iron deficiency anemia Thalassemia Anemia of chronic disease Sideroblastic anemias Chronic lead exposure
Macrocytosis
Folate/B12 deficiency
Liver disease
Primary bone marrow failure; myelodysplasia
Reticulocytosis (polychromasia)
Hypersegmented neutrophils
normally should have 4-6 lobes
these have 9-9 lobes and are larger
seen in megaloblastic anemia
Poikilocytosis
indicates the shape of thecells
macroocalocytes
large oval cells
B12/foltae megaloblastic anemia
Eliiptocytes
heriditary,
ellipsoid
Fragmetned erythrocytoses
chopped up RBCs (aka schistocytosis)
TTP, DIC, HUS
**prosthetic heart valves
hemolytic anemisa
acanthocyte
(Burr cell)
RBC w/ irregular shaped cells
liver disorders
Codocyte
aka target cells
red cells w/ central color spot in area of pallor (SCA, HbC, thalassemias)
dacrocyte
teardrop
myeloproliferative disorders
pernicious anemia
thalassemias
Stomatocyte
folded RBC mimicking a mouth and lips (slit-like appearance)
seen in hemolytic anemias
constitutive or acquired
Hypochromia
increased pallor int he center of RBC, lack of Hb
Thalassemia
Iron deficiency anemia
Sideroblastic anemia
Normochromic
normal Hb and stain w/ normal RBC intensity on peripheral smears
central pallor is 1/3 of cell
Hyperchromic
DOES NOT EXIST
can only cram 270mil Hb into 1 RBC
Rouleaux
stack of coins
seen in MM d/t elevated plasma globulins or globulins
Clumping
d/t cold agglutinins
basophilic stippling
round dark blue granules in retics on smears stained
classic lead poisoning
Reticulocytes
): immature red cell progenitors not normally present in blood
The nucleus is pyknotic
undergoing hemolytic crises.(normal in new-borns)
Howell Jolly Bodies
Spherical blue-black red cell inclusions seen on Wright-stained smears.
nuclear fragments,
hemolytic anemias and in post-splenectomy patients (below).
Signet ring
indicates infection by plasmodium vivax
Neutrophilia
elevated in bacterial infections, stress, corticosteroids
immature forms often present w/ elevated count
Lymphcytosis
elevated in viral infections
“atypical lymphocytes”= EBV mono
fragile lymphocytes
smudge or basket cells
common in CLL