Abstract
The Japanese Association of Medical Technologists (JAMT) working group recommended morphological methods in hematology in 1996. After that, in 2000, the Japanese Society for Laboratory Hematology (JSLH) was established. In 2003, JSLH recommended the eye count classification of neutrophils, but this has not been widely accepted. Most facilities (about 80% in Japan) are using the JAMT classification method. The hematology blood cell standards joint working group of JSLH and JAMT was formed and has recommended a new eye count classification of neutrophils (segmented neutrophils, band neutrophils). We must consider this new eye count classification of neutrophils as part of the historical background of this review. It is very important to determine how many facilities have introduced this new classification, and we must understand this project in relation to automated hematology analyzer performance and trends of international standardization.
