Under low power, the aspirate should be examined for all of the following except:

When examining a bone marrow aspirate under low power, the primary focus is to assess certain broad characteristics of the sample. Cellularity refers to the overall adequacy of the bone marrow, indicating whether it is hypercellular, hypocellular, or normocellular depending on the presence of hematopoietic cells. Assessing the number of megakaryocytes is also crucial since it provides insight about thrombopoiesis and potential underlying disorders like aplastic anemia or myeloproliferative neoplasms.

While it is important to note the presence of abnormal cells, looking specifically at their detailed morphology is generally reserved for higher power magnification. This is because low power examination primarily provides a broad overview of the sample's cellular composition and arrangement. More nuanced details about the size, shape, and characteristics of individual cells or specific abnormalities are effectively discerned under higher magnification.

Assessing the presence of tumor cell clusters is critical in the evaluation as this could indicate malignancy; tumor clusters may suggest infiltration by neoplastic cells, making them a significant aspect of the examination. Thus, the examination under low power is not tailored to assess detailed morphology but rather to provide a general overview of the aspirate, making the focus on morphology of abnormal cells less