English 
Italian Importanti informazioni dall’esame dello striscio periferico
Important information from the peripheral smear examination
AUTORI
1Laboratorio Analisi Chimico-Cliniche, Dipartimento Medicina di Laboratorio e Trasfusionale, Ospedale San Donato, Arezzo
2Medicina di Laboratorio, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova
ABSTRACT
Important information from the peripheral smear examination
Rarely, platelets can interact with other blood elements, forming platelet aggregates. This paper presents an isolated case of platelet satellitism around neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes with platelet phagocytosis by both neutrophils and monocytes. The subject was an 89-year-old woman with breast cancer on anti-estrogenic hormone cancer therapy. Whole blood sample collected in a tube with K2EDTA anticoagulant was analysed within 4 hours, using Sysmex XN-9000 analyzer. The complete blood count presented the following results: white blood cell 4.0×109/L, red blood cell 3.58×1012/L, haemoglobin 116 g/L, haematocrit 34.9%, mean corpuscular volume 97.5 fL, mean corpuscular haemoglobin 32.5 pg, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration 332 g/L, red blood cell distribution width 14.6% and platelet 136×109/L. The present case report describes the platelet satellitism around neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes and the interesting, and very rare phenomenon of platelet phagocytosis by not only neutrophils but also by monocytes.