Photometric measurements of red blood cell aggregation: light transmission versus light reflectance.

Red blood cell (RBC) aggregation is the reversible and regular clumping in the presence of certain macromolecules. This is a clinically important phenomenon, being significantly enhanced in the presence of acute phase reactants (e.g., fibrinogen). Both light reflection (LR) and light transmission (LT) from or through thin layers of RBC suspensions during the process of aggregation are accepted to reflect the time course of aggregation. It has been recognized that the time courses of LR and LT might be different from each other. We aim to compare the RBC aggregation measurements based on simultaneous recordings of LR and LT. The results indicate that LR during RBC aggregation is characterized by a faster time course compared to simultaneously recorded LT. This difference in time course of LR and LT is reflected in the calculated parameters reflecting the overall extent and kinetics of RBC aggregation. Additionally, the power of parameters calculated using LR and LT time courses in detecting a given difference in aggregation are significantly different from each other. These differences should be taken into account in selecting the appropriate calculated parameters for analyzing LR or LT time courses for the assessment of RBC aggregation.