CHANGES OF BLOOD HEMOGLOBIN AFTER INJECTION SCLEROTHRAPY

It has been reported that one of the causes of renal failure after injection sclerotherapy is due to the hemolysis of free hemoglobin found in the blood by the sclerosant. To study the hemolysis after the treatment, the changes in blood total hemoglobin, free hemoglobin, and free haptoglobin were investigated. Patients were divided into two groups; intravariceal group comprising 7 patients who received only intravariceal injection and extravariceal group comprising 6 patients without intravariceal injection. In the intravariceal group, blood total and free hemoglobins 1 hour after the intravariceal injection significantly increased than perior the treatment. Especially, in the patients with preoperatively low level of free haptoglobin, free hemoglobin more increased. There was a close correlation between the volume of the sclerosant and increase in the level of total hemoglobin after the treatment. On the other hand, in the extravariceal group, there was no difference in blood total hemoglobin, free hemoglobin and free haptoglobin before and after the treatment. When a large dose of the sclerosant is to be injected intravariceally in the patients with preoperatively low level of blood free haptoglobin, the haptoglobin could be administered during or before sclerotherapy.