[Functional activity of neutrophilic leukocytes of the blood in patients with phlegmons of the maxillofacial area].

Phagocytic capacities of segmented and rod neutrophils were examined in in vitro studies of whole blood samples taken at weekly intervals from 32 patients with mild to severe phlegmons of odontogenic origin; 25 blood donors served as controls. The ability of neutrophils to take up and digest bacteria was found to be less marked the more severe the disease although the number of actively phagocytizing cells was increased. In some cases of purulent inflammation, though, the neutrophils showed a higher bactericidal potential as compared to the controls. During recovery, the phagocytic function of neutrophils improved, approaching (but never reaching) the normal level by the time of full clinical recovery. At the light-microscopic level, neutrophils from phlegmon-affected patients displayed cytoplasmic granulation and vacuolation of a degree that correlated with the severity of the disease.