Ultrastructural morphometry of human leucocytes in health and disease

In this review, the literature on ultrastructural morphometry of each of the main types of human blood leucocytes has been considered, together with the technical and numerical procedures essential for valid analysis. Quantitative data have been reported for these cell types in health and comparisons have been made with those in disease states. In monocytes, and in macrophages developing from them, subtle ultrastructural differences have been detected and quantitated in malignant lymphoma; as the mononuclear phagocytes were not themselves neoplastic, the changes may have related to defects in host defence. Change in the ultrastructural characteristics of leukaemic monoblasts have also been reported. Lymphocytes and malignant lymphoid cells have been extensively investigated: differences between different types and subsets have been shown to be present in both normal lymphocytes and their malignant counterparts in leukemias and lymphomas. Particular attention has been paid to morphometric assessment of nuclear shape and size in these disorders and to its possible value as a diagnostic tool. Granulocytes have so far been the subject of few morphometric studies, although in hypereosinophilic syndrome, cellular changes have been defined and have thrown light on the abnormal pattern of degranulation. There have also been scattered reports on the cells of acute myelogenous leukaemia. The use of computers and sophisticated statistical packages has greatly facilitated the application of multiple comparison procedures and has permitted discriminant analysis to be carried out where appropriate. This review shows that ultrastructural morphometry of leucocytes will have an increasing application in clinical pathology.