Abstract
Erythrocyte deformability in 39 patients with polycythaemia vera was studied by cell filtration through polycarbonate membranes of 3 µn and 5 µn pore diameter and by the measurement of erythrocyte bulk viscosity. Classification of patients according to erythrocyte mean cell volume (MCV 90+ fl - 11 patients; MCV 78–89 fl - 17 patients; MCV < 75 fl - 11 patients) revealed a clear relationship between erythrocyte size and deformability. Reduction in erythrocyte size was associated with improved erythrocyte deformability as measured by both filtration and viscometric techniques so that microcytosis is unlikely to be a rheological hazard in patients with polycythaemia vera.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.