Abstract
We examined the influence of a pulmonary lobectomy under general anesthesia with epidural blockade on the changes of lymphocyte subpopulations (CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16, CD20).
Number of CD4-positive lymphocyte decreased significantly from the intraoperative period, whereas the numbers of other subpopulations except CD20 decreased significantly after operation.
Postoperatively, number of CD4-positive lymphocyte recovered first, and followed by CD8-positive lymphocyte, and CD16-positive lymphocyte.
But the significant decrease in these numbers of subpopulations continued until 7th postoperative day, which returned to preoperative value at the 1st postoperative month.
Judging from the decrease of the number of these lymphocyte subpopulations, postoperative immunosuppression may continue at least 1 week after pulmonary lobectomy.
Null cells, which seems to correlate with the extension of trauma, increased significantly from intraoperative period to 3rd postoperative day.
