Myelodysplastic syndrome: identification in the routine hematology laboratory

The Coulter S+IV electronically generates an automated white blood cell differential which counts 10,000+ cells per sample, separating lymphocytes, mononuclear cells, and granulocytes. In patients with preleukemic or so-called myelodysplastic syndromes, the histograms are consistently abnormal. CBCs of five patients demonstrate the variable features of myelodysplasia involving abnormal monocytosis, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and macro-ovalocytic anemias. The histogram analysis of white blood cells is a rapid, economic way of alerting the hematologist to a possible diagnostic problem in the elderly patient population.