Teardrop Cell

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Teardrop cell is another name for a dacrocyte. Dacrocytes are types of poikilocytes caused by cell trauma. Dacrocytes are often seen in myelofibrosis with myeloid metaplasia,  & other retoculo-endothelial  disorders, or possibly myelophthisic anemia, or bone marrow infiltration by hematologic or non-hematologic malignancy.  Dacrocytes may be possibly caused by the removal of a part of the cell as it travels through the spleen. The theory at the date of writing is that the red cell membrane has possibly been stretched too far and is unable to go back to it’s usual shape, but the exact mechanism is not certain. An error in slide preparation can cause cells to look like this, but their tails would all point in the same direction! True dacrocytes would have tails pointing in various different directions.

See also poikilocytes

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