Blood/Blood Cells and Cellular Components ›› Platelets ›› Abnormal

Giant Platelets*


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› Microscopic Features:

• Larger than normal RBC
• Usually looks like a very large platelet and has platelet granules in the cytoplasm
• It may be confused sometimes for a lymphocyte

› Normal % blood-PB, marrow-BM, lymphoid tissue-LN:

• PB: None
• BM: None
• LN: None

› May Resemble:

• Lymphocyte (mature) [Compare]
• Polychromatophilic RBC [Compare]
• Malaria infection [Compare]
• Babesia infection [Compare]

› Differential Diagnoses:

Increased numbers may be see in: Myeloid neoplasms (e.g. MDS, Acute leukemia or Myeloproliferative Neoplasms) Post-splenectomy patients Leukemoid reaction Some rare inherited conditions (e.g.May-Hegglin anomaly, Bernard-Soulier syndrome, etc.)

› Classic Immunophenotype:

• CD41+
• CD42+
• CD61+

› Cartoon Image:


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for direct comparison
› Misc:

• The term giant platelet is used if size is greater that that of a normal RBC