[Hemodilution in the treatment of acute cerebral thrombosis]

11 cases of acute cerebral thrombosis were treated with a combination of venesection (400-800 ml of blood being let out at a time) and administration of an equal volume of low-molecular weight dextran solution Thereafter 500 ml of the dextran solution was given to each patient every day for 15 days. A comparison was made between this group and another group of patients who received just dextran. In the venesection group the mean value of hemoglobin was reduced from 15 g% to 13 g%, that of hematocrit from 44.6% to 40%, and that of the whole blood viscosity from 5.15 to 4.40. The neurological scores showed marked changes after three days of venesection. On the 21st day the scores in the venesection group increased by 31.6% (20.1 points) and that in the control group increased by 12.6% (7.7 points). Evidently the venesection group resulted in much better recovery (P less than 0.001).