Automated cytochemistry and the white cell differential in leukemia.

Automated flow cytochemistry is a new technology which when applied to the problem of the white cell differential in leukemic patients extends the quantitative measure of both leukemic and nonleukemic cells over a greater range of concentrations. The Technicon Instruments Corporation, Hemalog-D automated white cell differential counter was employed in an investigation of leukemic patients with the following results: (a) There is an improvement in the diagnostic accuracy of subclassifying leukemias because of the use of cytochemistry. (b) Automated cytochemistry has increased sensitivity for the detection of both leukemic blasts and mature neutrophils in leukopenic patients, thus aiding in the distinction between early remission and persistent leukemia. (c) The increased precision of the differential demonostrates a linear correlation between the kinetics of different cell types not previously noted.