rouleaux

thumb|Rouleaux formation on a wet smear

Rouleaux () are stacks or aggregations of red blood cells (RBCs) that form due to the unique discoid shape of the cells in vertebrates. The flat surface of the discoid RBCs gives them a large surface area to make contact with and stick to each other; thus forming a rouleau. They occur when the plasma protein concentration is high, and, because of them, the ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) is also increased. This is a nonspecific indicator of the presence of disease.