Possibility of measuring asymmetry of the red blood cell size distribution by laser diffractometry of a blood smear

Abstract: An algorithm is proposed for measuring the parameters of the size distribution of red blood cells using the data of laser diffractometry of a blood smear. The algorithm is designed to measure the average size of red blood cells, as well as the width and asymmetry of their size distribution. The input data for the algorithm are the characteristics of the angular distribution of light intensity in the diffraction pattern that occurs upon laser beam scattering on a blood smear. The accuracy and applicability area of the algorithm are assessed by the method of numerical experiment.

Keywords: light scattering, laser diffractometry, data processing algorithms, red blood size distribution, distribution asymmetries.