Spherocytes

Source

Dr. Sofia Zaera, medical area specialist, Laboratorio de Análisis Clinicos, Hospital Universitario Lucus Augusti (Lugo), Spain

Description

Red blood cells with the shape of “spherocytes” (= perfectly round erythrocytes), which were found in the urine due to contamination from genital secretions in a patient with spherocytes in the peripheral blood. Spherocytes differ from isomorphic erythrocytes associated with nonglomerular hematuria (see Gallery, Particles, Red Blood Cells, Isomorphic) for: darker appearance; absence of a central halo; smaller diameter, which is scarcely influenced by urine low specific gravity (or density). Other types of uncommon urinary erythrocytes are: sickle cells, schistocytes, poikilocytes, dacryocytes and elliptocytes, all of whom reflect the presence of the same erythrocytes in the blood circulation (see: Tesser Poloni JA, Bala Bosan I, Garigali G, Fogazzi GB. Urinary red blood cells: not only glomerular or nonglomerular. Nephron Clin Pract 2012; 120: c36-c41).

Keywords

RBC