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THE USE OF ETIOCHOLANOLONE FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF MARROW GRANULOCYTE RESERVES
Author(s) -
Gunz F. W.,
Mani M. K.,
Ravich R. B. M.,
Speden Joan,
Vincent P. C.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1970.tb116843.x
Subject(s) - etiocholanolone , granulocyte , bone marrow , peripheral blood , medicine , androsterone , hormone , steroid
Intramuscular injection of etiocholanolone produces a rise in the numbers of blood granulocytes in normal subjects. In order to assess the usefulness of this phenomenon for measuring the size of marrow granulocyte reserves, 94 injections were given, under standard conditions, to 81 patients with hæmatological and renal diseases. No adverse effects followed any of these tests, and the anticipated pyrexia was found to be minimal with the doses employed. Most patients with granulocytopenia responded abnormally to etiocholanolone injections, as did a number of those with normal granulocyte counts. A normal response to etiocholanolone appeared to show adequate granulocyte reserves, as indicated by the response to subsequent myelodepressant therapy. The etiocholanolone test appears to be a useful means of gauging marrow granulocyte reserves. However, many questions remain regarding its mechanism and the significance of atypical results.