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| IMAGE IN HEMATOLOGY |
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| Year : 2021 | Volume
: 12
| Issue : 1 | Page : 57 |
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Endothelial cells in the peripheral blood smear: An incidental finding
Shreyam Acharya, Abhirup Sarkar, Aparna Ningombam
Department of Laboratory Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| Date of Submission | 04-Aug-2020 |
| Date of Decision | 17-Aug-2020 |
| Date of Acceptance | 11-Sep-2020 |
| Date of Web Publication | 15-Mar-2021 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Aparna Ningombam
Department of Laboratory Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi - 110 029
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/joah.joah_131_20
How to cite this article:
Acharya S, Sarkar A, Ningombam A. Endothelial cells in the peripheral blood smear: An incidental finding. J Appl Hematol 2021;12:57 |
A 20-year-old male patient attended the emergency department with complaints of shortness of breath. Routine workup with the peripheral blood sample in a K2-ethylenediaminetetraacetate vacutainer was sent for hematological investigations. Complete blood count was unremarkable with hemoglobin of 105 g/L, total leucocyte count of 4.9 × 109/L, and platelet count of 300 × 109/L. Differential count of leukocytes was within normal range. Giemsa-stained peripheral blood smear (PS) showed a small cluster of medium-to-large cells containing oval-grooved nucleus, inconspicuous nucleolus, and a moderate amount of basophilic cytoplasm with fraying. The classical features of grooved nucleus and cytoplasmic fraying confirmed these cells as endothelial cells [Figure 1]. | Figure 1: Endothelial cells with grooved nucleus and cytoplasmic fraying (Giemsa, ×1000)
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Endothelial cell clusters in the PS were first reported by Kaznelson et al.[1] They described them in a variety of disorders, mostly infectious and inflammatory. Later, other researchers also documented the presence of these clusters in the PS and hypothesized that vascular injury due to inflammation or preanalytical condition such as venipuncture by thick bore needle may lead to their occurrence.[2]
The morphology of the endothelial cells should not be confused with cells of solid malignancy, and their appearance being the probable consequence of phlebotomy with a barbed needle should be kept in mind.
Declaration of patient consent
The authors certify that they have obtained all appropriate patient consent forms. In the form the patient(s) has/have given his/her/their consent for his/her/their images and other clinical information to be reported in the journal. The patients understand that their names and initials will not be published and due efforts will be made to conceal their identity, but anonymity cannot be guaranteed.
Acknowledgement
We wish to express our sincere gratitude to our technical staff at the Department of Laboratory Medicine.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | |  |
| 1. | Kaznelson P. Seltene Zellformen des strömenden Blutes (Megakaryocyten, Histiocyten, Endothelien). Deutsches Arch. f. klin. Med., 128: 131-150, 1917.  |
| 2. | Cha CH, Kim JU. Endothelial cells in peripheral blood smear: An artifact? Korean J Hematol 2010;45:150. |
[Figure 1]
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