Morphology Monday | Case MM260112

For today's case, we are going to do something different. I will start by telling you the diagnosis:

The blood film images are from a transfusion dependent patient who is a compound heterozygote for HbE/beta-thalassaemia.

Blood film from this case showing target cells, hypochromic cells and red cells with Howell–Jolly bodies

Low-power blood film from this case with a dimorphic red cell picture and target cells

Blood film from this case with a dimorphic red cell picture, target cells and nucleated red cells

Blood film from this case with target cells, Howell–Jolly bodies and a nucleated red cell

Beyond the underlying thalassaemia, the native red cell population shows very specific morphological features that hint at a surgical history.

Given the morphological clues on the film, what organ is the patient missing?
What specific features in the "native" cell population led you to this conclusion?

Feel free to leave your thoughts below, or join in the discussion on Linkedin and or X (Twitter).

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Peripheral blood film images from LearnHaem.com.