title: Performance of the CellaVision(®) DM96 system for detecting red blood cell morphologic abnormalities.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Red blood cell (RBC) analysis is a key feature in the evaluation of hematological disorders. The gold standard light microscopy technique has high sensitivity, but is a relativity time-consuming and labor intensive procedure. This study tested the sensitivity and specificity of gold standard light microscopy manual differential to the CellaVision(®) DM96 (CCS; CellaVision, Lund, Sweden) automated image analysis system, which takes digital images of samples at high magnification and compares these images with an artificial neural network based on a database of cells and preclassified according to RBC morphology.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, 212 abnormal peripheral blood smears within the Calgary Laboratory Services network of hospital laboratories were selected and assessed for 15 different RBC morphologic abnormalities by manual microscopy. The same samples were reassessed as a manual addition from the instrument screen using the CellaVision(®) DM96 system with 8 microscope high power fields (×100 objective and a 22 mm ocular). The results of the investigation were then used to calculate the sensitivity and specificity of the CellaVision(®) DM96 system in reference to light microscopy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sensitivity ranged from a low of 33% (RBC agglutination) to a high of 100% (sickle cells, stomatocytes). The remainder of the RBC abnormalities tested somewhere between these two extremes. The specificity ranged from 84% (schistocytes) to 99.5% (sickle cells, stomatocytes).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results showed generally high specificities but variable sensitivities for RBC morphologic abnormalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2L 2K8, Canada ; Calgary Laboratory Services, Calgary, AB T2L 2K8, Canada.
authors.forename: Christopher L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Horn
authors.affiliation: Calgary Laboratory Services, Calgary, AB T2L 2K8, Canada.
authors.forename: Adnan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mansoor
authors.affiliation: Calgary Laboratory Services, Calgary, AB T2L 2K8, Canada.
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.affiliation: Calgary Laboratory Services, Calgary, AB T2L 2K8, Canada.
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Calgary Laboratory Services, Calgary, AB T2L 2K8, Canada.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Higa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2L 2K8, Canada ; Calgary Laboratory Services, Calgary, AB T2L 2K8, Canada.
authors.forename: Lik Hang
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2L 2K8, Canada ; Calgary Laboratory Services, Calgary, AB T2L 2K8, Canada.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Naugler
keywords: Image analysis; method validation; peripheral blood smears