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Peripheral blood smear in patient with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Typical schistocytes are annotated. A schistocyte or schizocyte (from Greek schistos for "divided" and kytos for "hollow" or "cell") is a fragmented part of a red blood cell. Schistocytes are typically irregularly shaped, jagged, and have two pointed ends. [1]
If a low count of reticulocytes is found, it usually indicates bone marrow stress. If a high reticulocyte count is found, it is usually linked to hemolysis, but a Coombs test may be performed in this case to rule out immune-mediated hemolysis. [4] Polychromasia can also be seen in blood smears when there is a normal reticulocyte count.
The area provides a reference unit, for example in reference ranges for urine tests. [3]Used for grading of soft tissue tumors: Grading, usually on a scale of I to III, is based on the degree of differentiation, the average number of mitoses per high-power field, cellularity, pleomorphism, and an estimate of the extent of necrosis (presumably a reflection of rate of growth).
[1] Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia may be suspected based on routine medical laboratory tests such as a CBC (complete blood cell count). Automated analysers (the machines that perform routine full blood counts in most hospitals) are designed to flag blood specimens that contain abnormal amounts of red blood cell fragments or schistocytes. [2]
Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) initially presents with a range of symptoms that may include severe thrombocytopenia (platelet count usually < 30,000/mm³), microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (evidenced by schistocytes in the blood smear), and various clinical signs such as petechiae, purpura, neurologic symptoms, myocardial ischemia ...
[1] [2] However, both can lead to widespread inflammation and multiple blood clots in small blood vessels, a condition known as thrombotic microangiopathy. [7] Treatment involves supportive care and may include dialysis, steroids, blood transfusions, or plasmapheresis. [1] [2] About 1.5 per 100,000 people are affected per year.
Platelet transfusion is the main treatment for people presenting with bleeding symptoms. There have been experiments with DDAVP (1-deamino-8-arginine vasopressin) and splenectomy on people with giant platelet disorders with mixed results, making this type of treatment contentious. [8]
Codocytes in human blood (Giemsa stain) Target cell compared to other forms of poikilocytosis.Codocytes, also known as target cells, are red blood cells that have the appearance of a shooting target with a bullseye.