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Pseudothrombocytopenia due to platelet satellitism

Author: Jianfeng Zhu, 05/08/2013
Category: Platelet and Megakaryocyte Disorders > Thrombocytopenia > Increased destruction or consumption of platelets > Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura
Published Date: 05/09/2013
A male patient with whole blood examinations showed platelets 57×109/ L without prominent bleeding symptoms. And the peripheral blood smear displayed platelets arrange themselves around neutrophils. Pseudothrombocytopenia due to platelet satellitism showed by these images. platelet satellitism is an immunological phenomenon caused by the presence of natural antibodies, which form a bridge between platelets and neutrophils. The frequency of platelet satellitism is much lower than that of EDTA-dependent platelet clumping [1], but the real incidence of the phenomenon may be underestimated. Indeed, platelets counting involved in this cases is not so much lower than EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia. In these cases, the platelet satellitism should not only be found by morphology, but also the characteristic cell distribution in the scattergrams provided by the analyzers. [1]. Bizzaro, N. (1991). Platelet satellitosis to polymorphonuclears: Cytochemical, immunological, and ultrastructural characterization of eight cases. Am J Hematol, 36, 235–242.