Observed differences in postoperative lymphocyte transformation are explained by patient and population variations

In the present study, the kinetics of the lymphocyte response to phytohemagglutinin were examined by harvesting lymphocytes at 24 hour intervals in four nonoperated control subjects, preoperatively and postoperatively in six men who underwent herniorrhaphy, and in four people who had colectomy for adenocarcinoma. Nonorthogonal analysis after logarithmic transformation and adjustment for individual and population variations showed no differences in preoperative and postoperative transformation. No age effects were seen. The previous evidence that surgery inhibits transformation to phytohemagglutinin was explained by wide kinetic variations in both patient and control populations.