Erythrocyte aggregate rheology by transmitted and reflected light

Both the transmission of light through a confined layer of blood and the reflection from the surface of that layer have been utilized for studying the rheology of erythrocyte aggregates. The two methods do not necessarily provide the same information. The light reflected from the blood layer relates to the rheological behavior of erythrocytes near the blood surface, whereas the light transmitted relates more to the properties of blood in bulk. This investigation makes direct comparison between the transmitted and reflected light methods with regard to the kinetics of aggregation in thin and thick layers of blood as well as following shear flow excitation steps of different sizes. Also, the transmission and reflection for static blood layers of varying thicknesses were determined. The kinetics of aggregation from transmitted and reflected light measurements are compared both graphically and by equations containing multiple characteristic aggregation times. The number of characteristic times required for accurate description increases with the time over which the aggregation process is monitored. The first 40 seconds of the aggregation process are precisely described by two characteristic times. For normal blood the characteristic times from reflection measurements are shorter than those from transmission measurements.