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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 25, 2026

Measuring Deformability and Red Cell Heterogeneity in Blood by Ektacytometry

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Published on: January 12, 2018

Erythrocyte deformability evaluated by laser diffractometry in polycythemia vera.

Rosalia Lo Presti¹, Clementina Caracciolo, Maria Montana

¹Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Malattie Cardiovascolari e Nefrourologiche Università di Palermo, Italy.

Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation

|January 14, 2012

Summary

Red blood cell deformability is reduced in polycythemia vera (PV) patients. This finding suggests hyperviscosity syndrome in PV is a complex issue involving both increased red cell count and altered cell rigidity.

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Area of Science:

Hematology
Rheology
Medical Biophysics

Background:

Polycythemia vera (PV) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by increased red blood cell mass.
Hyperviscosity syndrome is a known complication of PV, impacting blood flow.
Erythrocyte deformability is crucial for microcirculation and is potentially affected in PV.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess erythrocyte deformability in patients with polycythemia vera.
To investigate the relationship between red blood cell deformability and hyperviscosity in PV.
To characterize the rheological properties of erythrocytes in PV.

Main Methods:

Erythrocyte deformability was evaluated using a Rheodyn-SSD Laser Diffractometer.
Measurements were performed on subjects with polycythemia vera and normal controls.
Shear stresses applied were 6, 12, 30, and 60 Pa.

Main Results:

A significant decrease in erythrocyte deformability, measured by elongation index (EI), was observed in PV subjects.
PV patients exhibited reduced red cell deformability compared to healthy controls.
The data indicates impaired rheological properties of erythrocytes in polycythemia vera.

Conclusions:

Erythrocyte deformability is significantly compromised in polycythemia vera.
Hyperviscosity syndrome in PV may be a mixed disorder, combining polycythemia with erythrocyte rigidity (sclerocythemia).
These findings highlight the importance of red blood cell rheology in understanding PV pathophysiology.