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Arthur J. Donovan, MD

AMA Arch Surg. 1967;94(2):247-250.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

THE reticuloendothelial system is the site of the body's hostal defensive reactions¹ and has been implicated as a determinate factor in the course of cancer.^2,3 If, in patients with cancer, depression of reticuloendothelial function occurred in association with surgery, an existing balance between a malignant tumor and the hostal reaction to this tumor might be altered. Additionally, if the system were depressed as a result of surgery, the ability of the patient to respond to bacterial challenge might be impaired.

The recent introduction of iodinated I 131 serum albumin microaggregated has provided a suitable test substance for study of the reticuloendothelial system in humans.^4-6 When injected intravenously, the aggregates, which average 10mµ in diameter, are phagocytized by reticuloendothelial cells throughout the body. Their rate of disappearance is an index of the functional capacity of the reticuloendothelial system.⁷ Results on serial determinations are reproducible. Using this technique . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
Los Angeles

From the Department of Surgery of the University of Southern California and Los Angeles County Hospital, Los Angeles.

Footnotes
Submitted for publication Aug 25, 1966.

Reprint requests to Department of Surgery, University of Southern California, 1200 N State St, Box 257, Los Angeles 90033 (Dr. Donovan).

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