Extracorporeal irradiation of dog blood: the effects of a radiostrontium irradiator on blood stem cells (CFU-C).

The radiation sensitivity of dog blood stem cells was measured in vitro and in an extracorporeal circulation passing through a radiation field. It was established that the calculated D0 was as low as 0.45 Gy. Investigating the cell killing rate in our equipment (Buchler type 90Sr device for extracorporeal irradiation), we found an overkill situation; the dose delivered was in excess of that which would be required for the total eradication of all stem cells in the peripheral blood passing through the radiation field. Various other types of devices used for extracorporeal irradiation of blood are also reviewed.