Blood, 1 January 2003, Vol. 101, No. 1, pp. 3-4
BLOOD WORK
Spur-cell hemolytic anemia in severe alcoholic
cirrhosis
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Stanley Schrier, Stanford University Medical Center
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[View Larger Version of this Image (135K GIF file)]
Note the acanthocytes and target cells, as well as the
deeply invaginated spherocytic spur cells. The lipid abnormalities lead
to the increased partitioning of free cholesterol into the red cell
membrane. This results in an increase in the the surface area-volume
ratio of the red cell, which produces the target cell. Further
expansion of the outer leaflet of the phospholipid bilayer produces the
acanthocyte, which is converted into the spur cell during circulation
through the spleen.
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The above image was first published in the ASH IMAGE BANK, a reference and teaching tool that is continually updated with new atlas images and images of case studies.
For more information or to contribute to the Image Bank, visit
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