HematologyOutlines - Atlas
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)
  • Polychromatophilic RBC
  • Malaria infection
  • Babesia infection
› 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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RBC
for direct comparison

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