Scanning electron microscopy in hemotology

Today, in most cases, the morphology of red blood cells is examined in peripheral blood smears using light microscopy. Computer visualization methods are being implemented everywhere, automated cell counting technologies are being used, and pathological forms of red blood cells are successfully differentiated using neural networks trained on light microscopy images. However, these methods have a certain degree of subjectivity, due to the fact that if the red blood cell does not have a pronounced defect, the operator or the neural network does not always manage to differentiate the various pathological forms. This review article discusses the main methods for assessing the morphology of red blood cells in laboratory practice, describes the characteristics of pathological forms of red blood cells, criteria for their assessment, describes the mechanisms of formation of pathological forms, and considers scanning electron microscopy as an additional method for assessing the morphology.