Lymphocyte and Segmented Neutrophil

These two images were taken from the March 2001 Cytohematology Proficiency Test Event - Slide 039. The image on the left is a normal lymphocyte. Lymphocytes in the peripheral blood have been described on the basis of size and cytoplasmic granularity. Small lymphocytes are the most common, ranging in size from 6 to 10 µm. The nucleus is usually round or slightly oval, occasionally showing a small indentation due to the adjacent centrosome. Except in the smallest cells, the nucleus is about 7 µm in diameter, a size that has been convenient for estimating the size of the surrounding erythrocytes. Nuclear chromatin stains a dark reddish-purple to blue with large dark patches of condensed chromatin. The nuclear cytoplasm ratio is 5:1 to 3:1, and the cytoplasm is often seen only as a peripheral ring around part of the nucleus. The image on the right is a normal segmented neutrophil. Segmented neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes, or segs) are the mature phagocytes that migrate through tissues to destroy microbes and respond to inflammatory stimuli. Segmented neutrophils comprise 40-75 % of the peripheral leukocytes. They are usually 9 to 16 µm in diameter. The nuclear lobes, normally numbering from 2 to 5, may be spread out so that the connecting filaments are clearly visible, or the lobes may overlap or twist. The chromatin pattern is coarse and clumped. The cytoplasm is abundant with a few nonspecific granules and a full complement of rose-violet specific granules. Back to Slide 039