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Updated: Apr 28, 2026
Measuring Deformability and Red Cell Heterogeneity in Blood by Ektacytometry
Published on: January 12, 2018
Deformability analysis of sickle blood using ektacytometry.
Miklos Rabai1, Jon A Detterich2, Rosalinda B Wenby3
11st Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Ektacytometry methods were adjusted to accurately measure red blood cell deformability in sickle cell disease (SCD). These adjustments minimize artifacts from rigid cells, improving the reliability of elongation index measurements.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Sickle cell disease (SCD) impairs red blood cell (RBC) deformability, leading to microvascular occlusion.
- Ektacytometry, a method to measure RBC deformability, is challenged by rigid, irreversibly sickled cells (ISC) in SCD.
- Standard ektacytometry software fits elliptical patterns to diffraction images, yielding an elongation index (EI).
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate methods for accurate ektacytometry in sickle cell disease.
- To overcome artifacts caused by irreversibly sickled cells (ISC) during RBC deformability measurements.
- To improve the reliability of elongation index (EI) measurements in SCD erythrocytes.
Main Methods:
- Two modifications to the LORCA ektacytometer's image analysis were tested: altering diffraction image height and adjusting light intensity levels.
- These methods were applied to normal and SCD erythrocytes.
- Data fitting using the Lineweaver-Burke routine was employed to analyze results.
Main Results:
- Neither method affected deformability measurements in normal RBC.
- Decreasing image height and increasing light intensity significantly altered EI in SCD erythrocytes.
- The modified methods produced ISC percentage results comparable to microscopic cell counting.
Conclusions:
- Adjusting image height and light intensity are effective strategies to minimize artifacts in SCD ektacytometry.
- These simple modifications enhance the accuracy of RBC deformability measurements in sickle cell disease.
- Further research is needed to confirm the physiological relevance of deformability data obtained using these adjusted methods.
