抄録
By use of a newly developed automatic erythrocyte sedimentation curve recorder (sedimentimeter), ESR curves of normal subjects and several patients with augmented ESR were recorded, and the hemorheological characteristics of them were analyzed based on the semi-empirical model of Puccini.
The automatic sedimentimeter differs in principle from the existing ones in that 1) the optical image of the whole sedimentation tube is focussed on a small photoelectronic image sensor (Reticon®) and (2) the output signals from this image sensor are electronically processed with the resulting curve of the time course of blood sedimentation. Performance of the apparatus was found excellent.
Characteristics of erythrocyte sedimentation process were estimated quantitatively in terms of two parameters of the Puccini's equation, i. e., t50 and 1/b. The accuracy of the approximation was found over 0.96 of correlation coefficient, which seemed satisfactory for the practical purposes.
It was confirmed in normal subjects that t50's increased almost linearly with the values of hematocrit, while 1/b's were nearly constant. Blood samples obtained from the diseased group which contains one case of diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hodgkin's disease, thromboangitis obliterans, malignant thymoma (post op.), aneurysm (chronic DIC) and atherosclerotic occlusive disease (post amputation) showed mostly augmented ESR. Parameters of t50 and 1/b in these patients were found in the range of ±175% of normal values, which shows the possible use of these parameters as a diagnostic measure of clinical conditions in some of these diseases.
