| Red blood cell, shape abnormality | Echinocyte |
| Also known as | Burr cell, crenated cell |
| Definition | Burr cells are red blood cells with 10-30 uniform, short, blunt projections distributed evenly around the circumference of the cell, giving the red cell surface a serrated appearance. The red blood cells retain central pallor. |
| Ddx | Improperly prepared smear (slow drying, thick smears, aged blood and pH alteration of glass slide) |
| Conditions associated with the abnormality | Seen in uremia or pyruvate kinase deficiency, and to a lesser extent post splenectomy, burns and hepatitis of the newborn. |
| Mechanism of formation | Abnormal lipid composition of the cellular membrane |
| History | First described by Schwartz and Motto in 1949 |
| Source/author | William Aird |
| Reviewed and edited by | Parul Bhargava |
