Stomatocyte
(Fish Mouth Cell)
Peripheral blood smear, Wright-Giemsa stain, 1000x
Description:
Instead of having the rounded central palor of a normal red cell, a stomatocyte has a centrally located linear slit or stoma (fish mouth) and the MCV is usually increased. On scanning EM, a stomatocyte looks like a ball with a single concavity (cup-shaped).
Pathobiology:
Unlike the echinocyte, stomatocyte formation is due to expansion of the inner leaflet of the lipid bilayer.
Differential diagnosis:
- Normal blood smear (low percentage)
- Alcohol excess- MCV increased in absence of anemia
- Liver disease- macrotarget cells and acanthocytes may also be present
- Hereditary stomatocytosis
- Some subtypes of hereditary spherocytosis
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Charles
E.
Hess,
M.D.,FACP
Professor of Internal Medicine |
| Department of Medicine Division of Hematology/Oncology |
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| M.D. Degree: | University of Virginia, 1959 | |
| Residency: | Internal Medicine, University of Virginia | |
| Fellowship: | Hematology, University of Virginia | |
| Certification: |
Internal Medicine
Hematology |
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| Research Interests: | Hematologic malignancies, splenomegaly | |
| Department Web Site: | http://www.healthsystem.vir ginia.edu/internet/internal/ |
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| Phone: | (434) 924-2572 | |