[Anemia caused by acanthocytosis in the cirrhotic patient: diagnosis and prognostic significance. 3 cases].

The authors report the cases of 3 patients with severe alcoholic cirrhosis and spur cell anemia. The spur cell anemia must be suspected when there is haemolytic anemia, highly macrocytic with normal serum level of cholesterol and without fatty liver. The cytologic confirmation is difficult even with a phase contrast microscope. The evolution did not exceed 7 and 8 months in 2 cases; the third patient is still alive but quite sick after 1.5 year. These data lead us to point out the difficulty of the diagnosis by routine light microscopy and to remind the poor prognosis after the spur cell anemia is discovered, as documented in the literature.