STUDIES ON THE BLOOD VOLUME FOLLOWING HYPOPHYSECTOMY IN MAN

Abstract

ABSTRACT Using 51Cr-labelled red cells, studies on the blood volume were performed before and after hypophysectomy in five patients (three cases of metastatic mammary carcinoma and two cases of acromegaly). In addition, studies were performed only after hypophysectomy in nine patients (two cases of metastatic mammary carcinoma and seven diabetic subjects). All patients were on replacement therapy with cortisone (17,21-dihydroxy-pregn-4-ene-3,11,20-trione) postoperatively, and several cases also received thyroid and sex hormones. Hypophysectomy was followed by a decrease in the red cell volume, the calculated total blood volume, and the total amount of haemoglobin in the patients studied before and after operation. The differences in calculated total blood volume and the total amount of haemoglobin between all hypophysectomized patients and a series of control subjects were analyzed on the basis of body weight. The total blood volume and total haemoglobin were significantly reduced in the hypophysectomized group.