What is the separation of white blood cells by reversible filtration or centrifugation called?

• A. Leukapheresis
• B. Plateletpheresis
• C. Plasmapheresis
• D. Erythrocytapheresis

Answer: (A)

Leukapheresis is a type of apheresis in which white blood cells are separated from blood for collection while the other components are returned to the donor or patient. The separation can be done by centrifugation or filtration, distinguishing cells by density or size so the leukocytes can be harvested from the buffy coat. This technique is used to obtain white cells for transplantation or therapeutic purposes, and to reduce extremely high white cell counts when needed. The other listed procedures target different components: plateletpheresis collects platelets, plasmapheresis removes plasma, and erythrocytapheresis removes red blood cells.