Diagnostic value of an automatic hematology analyzer in patients with hematologic disorders

The Sysmex SE-9000 is a newly designed automatic hematology analyzer that provides complete blood counts and white-cell differential counts. Few reports in the literature, however, discuss the sensitivity and specificity of this type of automatic analyzer, especially in patients with hematologic illnesses. This study compared differences between hematologist assessments and measurements made by the SE-9000 analyzer of differential counts, immature granulocytes, atypical lymphocytes, nucleated red cells, and platelet counts. Significant differences were found between manual and apparatus counting of neutrophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes but not of eosinophils and basophils. Atypical lymphocytes and nucleated red cell could not be counted accurately, and when platelet counts fell below 20 x 10(9)/L, accurate assessments were not possible. We conclude that not even the Sysmex SE-9000 can provide unflawed results and any suspicious blood report should be rechecked by an experienced hematologist.