Platelet Satellites

Originally created 10 October 2010. Updated 5 January 2021 (updated to new format). Last updated 21 November 2023 (more photos and references added)

Overview

I’ll take it as read that we all know what platelets are and what they do…

 

Look what I saw ten years ago. Whilst reported enough in the literature, it’s actually rather obscure. And then I had a worry…

Platelet clumping is common, and is widely recognised as a cause of thrombocytopenia. Could platelet satellitism be a similar cause of thrombocytopenia, albeit a more obscure one.

 

But then, if the (apparent) thrombocytopenia is relevant, we would look at a blood film anyway, and if the satellitism is especially marked, then this would stuff the optical properties of the neutrophil and again prompt scrutiny of a blood film. Either way the problem would be spotted.

 

On reflection I don’t think there’s grounds for concern…

 

 

Interestingly (and something I didn’t realise) is that demonstrably the platelets don’t form satellites around every neutrophil.

I wonder why not.

A close-up of purple circles

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Some More Expert Opinion…

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4115092/

https://ashpublications.org/blood/article/114/22/4469/64310/Neutrophil-Platelet-Satellitism-Revisited

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12308-019-00365-9

https://www.labce.com/spg280957_pseudo_thrombocytopenia_platelet_satellitism_and_p.aspx