Lab

Erythrocyte Morphology on Peripheral Smear

search

Erythrocyte Morphology on Peripheral Smear, Erythrocyte Morphology, Red Blood Cell Morphology, Macrocyte, Microcyte, Spherocyte, Elliptocyte, Schistocyte, Acanthocyte, Spur Cell, Dacryocyte, Howell-Jolly, Target Cell, Basophilic Stippling, Sideroblast, Cabot's Ring Bodies

  • See Also
  1. Red Blood Cell
  2. Peripheral Smear
  3. Bone Marrow Exam
  • Background
  1. Variants below as seen on Peripheral Smear
  2. RBC Evaluation parameters
    1. RBC Color
    2. RBC Size
    3. RBC Shape
    4. RBC Contents
  • Causes
  • Macrocytes
  1. See Macrocytic Anemia
  2. Reticulocytosis
  3. Liver disease
  • Causes
  • Hypochromic Microcytes: Defective Hemoglobin synthesis
  1. See Microcytic Anemia
  2. Iron Deficiency Anemia
  3. Thalassemia
  4. Sickle Cell Anemia
  5. Hemoglobinopathy
  • Causes
  • Spherocytes
  1. Hereditary Spherocytosis
  2. Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia
  3. Acute Alcoholism
  4. Hemoglobin C Disease
  5. Following severe Burn Injury
  6. Hemolytic Transfusion Reactions
  7. Severe Hypophosphatemia
  8. Acute Oxidant Injury: Hexose Monophosphate Shunt Defect
  9. Clostridium Welchii Septicemia
  • Causes
  • Elliptocytes (Oval Cells)
  1. Megaloblastic Anemia
  2. Myelofibrosis
  3. Refractory normoblastic Anemia
  4. Hereditary elliptocytosis
  5. Thalassemia
  1. Microangiopathic Hemolytic Anemia
    1. Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC)
    2. Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP)
    3. Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS)
    4. Giant Hemangioma
    5. Metastatic Carcinoma
    6. Malignant Hypertension
    7. Eclampsia (Toxemia of Pregnancy)
    8. Vasculitis
  2. Macroangiopathic Hemolytic Anemia
    1. Prosthetic Heart Valve
  • Causes
  • Dacryocytes (tear drop RBC)
  1. Extramedullary hemopoiesis
  2. Myelophthisic Anemia
  3. Severe Hemolytic Anemia
  4. Erythroleukemia
  • Causes
  • Acanthocytes (Spur Cells)
  1. Abetalipoproteinemia
  2. Cirrhosis
  3. Hepatic necrosis
  4. Pyruvate kinase deficiency
  5. Uremia
  6. Infantile pyknocytosis
  • Causes
  • Howell-Jolly Bodies
  1. Postsplenectomy
  2. Megaloblastic Anemia
  • Causes
  • Basophilic Stippling (aggregated ribosomes)
  1. Lead Poisoning
  2. Arsenic Poisoning
  3. Thalassemia
  4. Sideroblastic Anemia
  5. Hemolytic Anemia
  6. Severe Anemia
  7. Unstable Hemoglobin
  8. Pyrimidine 5'-Nucleotidase Deficiency
  • Causes
  • Heinz Body (Aggregates of denatured Hemoglobin)
  1. Oxidative Hemolytic Anemia (G6PD Deficiency)
  • Causes
  • Target Cells
  1. Thalassemia
  2. Hemoglobin C
  3. Hemoglobin S (Sickle Cell Anemia)
  4. Liver Disease
  • Causes
  • Sideroblasts
  1. See Sideroblastic Anemia
  2. Nucleated RBCs
  3. Iron laden mitochondria
  • Causes
  • Cabot's Ring Bodies (Nuclear remnants)
  1. Lead Toxicity
  2. Pernicious Anemia
  3. Hemolytic Anemia
  • Causes
  • Other findings on RBC exam
  1. Malaria
  2. Bartonella Parasites
  • References
  1. Ravel (1995) Clinical Laboratory Medicine, p. 14-16