Comparison of the reticulocyte mode of the Abx Pentra 120 Retic, Coulter General-S, Sysmex SE 9500, Abbott CD 4000 and Bayer Advia 120 haematology analysers in a simultaneous evaluation.

The Abx Pentra 120 Retic, Coulter General-S, Sysmex SE 9500, Abbott Cell Dyn 4000 and Bayer Advia 120 were evaluated simultaneously in a general hospital laboratory. Linearity, precision, sample stability, carry-over and comparability of the reticulocyte mode were determined following International Council for Standardization in Haematology guidelines for the evaluation of blood cell analysers. All analysers showed good results for dilution, stability and carry-over testing. The between-batch coefficient of variation of the General-S was high compared to the other analysers evaluated. Multiple correlation studies showed good agreement for all analysers in the normal and high reticulocyte range, with correlation coefficients above 0.7. Multiple correlation studies for reticulocytopenic samples (< 15.109/l) were less satisfactory, with a wider range of correlation coefficients (r-values 0.0-0.9). Overall, the General-S, SE 9500 and Advia 120 gave lower reticulocyte counts than the Pentra 120 Retic and CD 4000. Reagent costs were also evaluated. Reagent consumption was close to the manufacturers' specifications for the SE 9500 (Search reagent), CD 4000 (CD Retic) and Advia 120 (Retics) but was higher than stated for the Pentra 120 Retic (Retix), General-S (Retic kit) and SE 9500 (Sheath reagent). Our results show that these new generation haematology analysers will meet the needs of hospital laboratories for reliable and cost-effective reticulocyte counting.