title: Intra-leukocytic hemosiderin inclusions detected as pseudoeosinophils by automated depolarization analysis in a patient with beta-thalassaemia major and immune hemolysis.
abstract: This report describes a patient with intra-leukocytic hemosiderin inclusions associated with iron overload and acute infection. These inclusions resulted in a false identification of eosinophils rather than neutrophils using an automated analyzer. The analyzer interpreted the aberrant increased depolarization as a reflection of eosinophils. No eosinophils were found by examination of the blood smear. The implications for the hematology morphologist is that visual inspection of a blood smear is nearly always indicated whenever any departure from strict normality is noted in the output from an automated blood cell counter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. groberts@kfshrc.edu.sa
authors.forename: George T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: J Leonard
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Jefri
authors.forename: Colin Stephen
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Scott
mesh_terms: D004804:Eosinophils / Q000473:pathology*; D017707:Erythrocyte Transfusion; D006485:Hemosiderin / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000097:blood*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010976:Platelet Count; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D006485:Hemosiderin