Evaluation of Recommended Methods for Radioisotope Red Cell Survival Studies

Abstract

Mean red cell life-span in normal subjects and in patients with various hematological disorders was examined with ⁵¹Cr and DF³²P. The results with ⁵¹Cr were corrected for ⁵¹Cr elution using correction factors. The results by the two methods agreed fairly well with each other, Elution rate in various hematological disorders was 2. 3% per day or less except for the patients with extra corpuscular hemolytic agents such as autoimmune hemolytic anemia or congestive splenomegaly. It is concluded that estimates of mean red cell life-span by corrected ⁵¹Cr method are more useful and sufficient than uncorrected ⁵¹Cr or DF³²P method in general hematological disorders.