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.

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.