| Red blood cell, shape abnormality | Teardrop cell |
| Also known as | Dacrocyte, tailed poikilocyte |
| Definition | Red cells appearing in the shape of a teardrop or a pear with a single short or long tail. True tear drops have blunted tips and point in different directions. |
| Ddx | Smear artifact |
| Conditions associated with the shape abnormality | Associated with infiltrative processes in the bone marrow, including fibrosis, metastatic disease, granulomas. Also conditions with abnormally large red cells like megaloblastic anemia. |
| Mechanism of formation | Rigid splenic or marrow sinusoids where red cells are distorted in their passage or abnormally large red cells that distort in their passage. |
| History | First named in mid-1950s |
| Source/Author | William Aird |
| Reviewed and edited by | Parul Bhargava |
