The effect of splenectomy in hereditary spherocytosis by dual angle laser light cytometry.

We have applied dual angle laser scattering cytometry (DALC), which provides objective assessment of spherocytosis, to study the changes of hereditary spherocytosis (HS) red cell populations after splenectomy. Eighty unsplenectomized HS patients (32 mild, 37 moderate and 11 severe cases), 26 splenectomized HS patients (SHS, formerly 21 moderate and five severe cases) and 140 controls were studied. SHS were similar to unsplenectomized mild HS cases, with homogeneous red cell volume distribution and spherocytosis. Spherocytosis in SHS was significantly higher when compared with controls (P < 0.001) but less when compared with unsplenectomized HS patients (P < 0.01).