Blood filtrability in cerebrovascular disorders, with special reference to erythrocyte deformability and ATP content.

Erythrocyte deformability was determined in 48 patients with cerebrovascular disease and 116 healthy controls as an index of blood filtrability in microcirculation. Hemo-rheological and blood chemical changes were also studied to assess their effect on filtrability. Erythrocyte deformability, determined by Reid's method, was expressed as the deformability index (DI). DI and ATP levels decreased with advancing age in controls and patients; these levels were lower in patients. In the controls, DI was inversely proportional to hematocrit, hemoglobin, fibrinogen, and lactate; in patients, it was directly proportional to albumin. There were no significant differences in DI and ATP levels in patients with cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage. The values for DI and ATP levels were the same in arterial and venous blood.