Effect of Radio Contrast Media on the Red Blood Cell An in vitro Study on Human Erythrocytes

  • P. Aspelin
  • H. Schmid-Schönbein
Conference paper

Abstract

The effect of ionic contrast media on red cell morphology and deformability was investigated. The morphologic changes were studied by interference contrast optics in vitro. All the contrast media studied produced changes in red cell morphology, in solutions both isotonic and hypertonic to blood. The changes increased with increasing molar concentration and increasing osmolarity of the contrast media. The ionic contrast media in low volume ratio transformed the cells into crenated spheres (‘echinocytes’) in solutions both isotonic and hypertonic to blood. At high volume ratio the ionic media of high osmolarity caused the red cells to become markedly shrunken (‘desiccocytes’). The non-ionic contrast medium of low osmolarity never produced these desiccocytes but produced echinocytes in all volume ratios.

The red cell deformability was measured by the filtration method. This showed that the echinocytes produced by the isotonic contrast media solutions were less rigid than the echinocytes produced by the hypertonic contrast media. Furthermore, the latter were less rigid than the hypertonically induced desiccocytes.

Key Words

Blood rheology echinocytic agents Osmolarity Radio-opaque contrast media Red cell deformability Red cell shape 
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1978

Authors and Affiliations

  • P. Aspelin
    • 1
    • 2
  • H. Schmid-Schönbein
    • 1
    • 2
  1. 1.Department of PhysiologyUniversity of AachenFederal Republic of Germany
  2. 2.Department of RadiologyUniversity of MalmöSweden

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