ISSN: 2578-501X
Authors: Jamal I*
Smudge cells or basket cells are leukocytes that have been damaged during preparation of the peripheral blood smear. These usually occur due to the fragility of the cell. They are usually seen in chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL). Patients often see a reference to smudge cells in their complete blood count (CBC) reports. Smudge cells are cells that are probably damaged during the CBC process. The cell wall rupture and when seen under the microscope, they look like a smudge, hence the term smudge cells. These cells are probably lymphocytes and are so distorted that they can’t be given a real name. Smudge cells are not unique to CLL [2]. However, they are seen much more frequently and in much higher number in CLL than in any other condition. For example, in normal specimens, they may be 0.01% .In patient with severe infections or burns, there may be 0.1 to 0.3% .In patients with acute leukemia, there may be as many as 1 to 3 %, but in CLL patients, smudge cells can be up to 20% of all cells or higher
Keywords: Smudge cells; lymphocytic leukemia; peripheral blood smear
