Glossary
Leukocyte
A leukocyte is a white blood cell. Leukocytes make up roughly one percent of blood and concentrate in the buffy coat alongside platelets. Whether they are kept or excluded defines leukocyte-rich and leukocyte-poor PRP.
Figure
Where leukocytes sit
Figure. Leukocyte density falls between that of platelets and erythrocytes, which is why they co-locate with platelets in the buffy coat and are difficult to separate from them. That difficulty is the whole leukocyte-rich versus leukocyte-poor question.
In practice
Leukocyte density sits between that of erythrocytes and platelets, which is why they co-locate with platelets in the buffy coat and are difficult to separate from them.
See also
- Leukocyte-rich PRP (L-PRP)Leukocyte-rich PRP retains the white cells that concentrate alongside platelets in the buffy coat.
- Leukocyte-poor PRP (P-PRP)Leukocyte-poor PRP excludes most white cells, typically by drawing a narrower fraction above the buffy coat.
- Buffy coatThe buffy coat is the thin layer that forms between the red cells and the plasma after centrifugation.