Effective RES blood flow changes in children with homozygous beta-thalassemia in relation to blood transfusion.

Denatured radioiodinated human serum albumin (DHA) clearance studies at a dose of 1 mg/kg body wt., were carried out in 16 thalassemic children, prior to and 7-10 days following blood transfusion, to investigate changes of the effective RES blood flow which might accompany the posttransfusion spleen size diminution. A statistically significant increase (P less than 0.001) of the DHA plasma clearance rate was observed 7-10 days following blood transfusion denoting an increase of the blood flow to the effective RES while at the same time the spleen diminished in size. It is suggested that changes in the effective RES blood flow in these patients are directly related to changes in the intrasplenic circulatory capacity.