Arte?-Fact? - Cytoplasmic protrusions - Calendar 2007 month 12

Author(s): H. Diem (1), R. Hinzmann (2)
Institution(s): (1) Würmtal-Labor, 82131 Gauting; (2) Sysmex Europe GmbH, Norderstedt - Germany
References: The Sysmex Scientific Calendar 2007
Photos and text: Heinz Diem, MD; text: Rolf Hinzmann, MD, PhD
Last change of this image collection: 2007/01/01

Changes in the shape of the cytoplasm are due to multiple causes. Unless they represent only minimal cytoplasmic protrusions of lymphocytes, they need careful consideration.

Cytoplasmic protrusions of a lymphocyte in normal blood. (Although such protrusions are frequently found with infections, contrary to activated lymphocytes they are of no diagnostic importance.)

Cytoplasmic fragments split off a blast in a case of acute lymphatic leukaemia (ALL). In certain automated haematology analysers, such fragments might possibly suggest a wrongly high concentration of platelets.

This 'hairy' lymphocyte comes from a person suffering from active infection (without any malignant disease). The granula identify it as a T or a NK cell.

Hairy cell from a hair cell leukaemia. Typical are the monocytic type nuclei with loose chromatin, and the greyblue, heterogeneous cytoplasm. The hairy protrusions can be missing in some cases.


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