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2.10: Schistocytes

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    https://pressbooks.library.ualberta.ca/mlsci/?p=272

    Images show peripheral blood smears with schistocytes present (indicated by the arrow). From MLS Collection, University of Alberta.

    Image 1: 100x oil immersion. https://doi.org/10.7939/R34Q7R51T

    Image 2: 50x oil immersion. https://doi.org/10.7939/R3N29PN8H

    Image 3: https://doi.org/10.7939/R31R6NG3M

    Cell Description:

    Fragmented red blood cells with varying shapes and sizes. Cells often appear small, with multiple pointed and angular ends and lack an area of central pallor.1,2

    Cell Formation:

    Formed in circulation when a red blood cell is damaged by mechanical means (e.g. damaged by fibrin strands or mechanical heart valves). The presence of schistocytes suggests an intravascular hemolytic process is occurring2,3

    Associated Disease/Clinical States:1,2,4,5

    Microangiopathic Hemolytic Anemia (MAHAs)

    Macroangiopathic Hemolytic Anemias

    Renal graft rejection

    Severe burns

    References:

    1. Rodak BF, Carr JH. Variations in shape and distribution of erythrocytes. In: Clinical hematology atlas. 5th ed. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Inc.; 2017. p. 93-106.

    2. Ford J. Red blood cell morphology. Int J Lab Hematol [Internet]. 2013 Mar 9 [cited 2018 Jul 12];35(3):351–7. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/ijlh.12082

    3. Landis-Piwowar K, Landis J, Keila P. The complete blood count and peripheral blood smear evaluation. In: Clinical laboratory hematology. 3rd ed. New Jersey: Pearson; 2015. p. 154-77.

    4. Jones KW. Evaluation of cell morphology and introduction to platelet and white blood cell morphology. In: Clinical hematology and fundamentals of hemostasis. 5th ed. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company; 2009. p. 93-116.

    5. Manchanda N. Anemias: red blood morphology and approach to diagnosis. In: Rodak’s hematology clinical applications and principles. 5th ed. St. Louis, Missouri: Saunders; 2015. p. 284-96.

    This page titled 2.10: Schistocytes was last modified on Fri, 11 Sep 2026 16:40:02 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Valentin Villatoro and Michelle To (Open Education Alberta) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.