Morphologic Findings in Red Blood Cells

Basophilic stippling - Small blue dots in red cells, due to clusters of ribosomes

Pappenheimer bodies - Larger, more irregular, and grayer than basophilic stippling, due to iron-containing mitochondria

Heinz bodies (Bite cells) - Heinz bodies: gray-black round inclusions, seen only with supravital stains (crystal violet). Bite cells: sharp bite-like defects in red cells where a Heinz body has been removed in the spleen. Both are due to denatured hemoglobin

Howell-Jolly bodies (Cabot rings) - Howell—Jolly body: dot-like, dark purple inclusion. Cabot ring: ring-shaped dark purple inclusion. Both represent a residual nuclear fragment

Target cells - Red cells with a dark circle within the central area of allor, reflectin redundant membrane

Schistocytes - Fragmented red blood cells, with forms such as helmet-shaped cells, due to mechanical red cell fragmentation

Dacrocytes (teardrop cells) - Teardrop or pear-shaped erythrocytes

Echinocytes (burr cells) - Red blood cells that have circumferential undulations or spiny projections with pointed tips

Acanthocytes (spur cells) - Red blood cells that have circumferential blunt and spiny projections with bulbous tips

Spherocytes - Red cells without central pallor due to decreased red cell membrane

Elliptocytes - Red cells twice as long as they are wide

Stomatocytes - Red cells whose area of central pallor is elongated in a mouth-like shape



#RedBloodCells #RBCs #Morphology #Morphologic #Diagnosis #Hematology