Smudge cells
From IDWiki
Background
- Also called basket cells or Gumprecht shadows
- Remnants of fragile leukocytes that are smeared during preparation of a blood film
Differential Diagnosis
- Classically associated with CLL, where they represent ruptured diseased B cells
- May also be seen in some infections (including infectious mononucleosis), post-cardiac arrest, inflammatory conditions, and as an artefact
