[Evaluation of the Coulter S + II in neonatology]

The Coulter Counter S + II is one of the most frequently used automatic counter in France. The authors evaluated its performances by analysing 116 blood samples from newborn infants aged less than one month. The reliability of this counter is impaired by the numerous rejects of lymphocytes or platelets and by the failure to recognize erythroblasts or circulating immature granulocytes. Moreover, abnormal cellular populations are notified which sometimes do not appear to be linked to any clinical disorder and are not evidenced by microscope examination control. These constatations bound the utilisation of this counter at least as far as the newborn's hematology is concerned.