Improved visualization of fetal hemoglobin-containing cells using Nomarski Optics

The quantitation of fetal hemoglobin-containing cells is generally accomplished by the acid elution of adult hemoglobin and subsequent identification of cells positively stained for fetal hemoglobin by light microscopy. Disadvantages with this technique include difficulty in recognition of intensity of stained cells. This study describes a modification of the acid elution technique using Nomarski Optics to facilitate recognition of fetal hemoglobin cells. Further, the results of the acid elution technique using Nomarski Optics significantly correlate with results from the standard alkali denaturation technique for quantitating fetal hemoglobin.