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Quantitative Determination of Splenic Red Blood Cell Destruction in Patients with Splenomegaly
Author(s) -
Christensen B. Egelund
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1600-0609
pISSN - 0036-553X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0609.1975.tb02430.x
Subject(s) - spleen , red blood cell , red cell , chemistry , immunology , pathology , medicine
In order to evaluate a method permitting quantitation of splenic red blood cell destruction, a model of erythrocyte destruction in enlarged spleens was created: Erythrocytes are destroyed in the splenic erythrocyte pool at a constant rate, producing in labelling studies hyperhaemolysis due to random destruction. A mathematical analysis of the model shows that the splenic destruction rate can be calculated with great accuracy from quantitation of the initial excess radioactivity, measured over the spleen during the first days after infusion of 51 Cr‐labelled autologous erythrocytes. 18 patients with splenomegaly (479–4700 g) were investigated. The splenic erythrocyte destruction rate was estimated to be between 0.5–4.4% of the total erythrocyte mass per day, increasing significantly with increasing splenic weight. The results indicate that erythrocyte destruction takes place almost exclusively in the enlarged spleen in cases of predominant splenomegaly without complicating immunohaemolysis.