Scanning electron microscopy of myeloma cells

The surface structure of myeloma cells was examined by scanning electron microscopy. The cells were collected from the pleural effusion of a multiple myeloma 68 yr old male patient and purified by Conray Ficoll gradient sedimentation. The cell size ranged from 8μ to 12μ in diameter and the microvilli were from 0.8μ to 1.2μ in length. The surfaces of the majority of the observed myeloma cells were more villous than lymphocytes.