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The clinical outcome of 65 patients with malazia alba of the brain was documented by the use of our "Valduna-Disability-Score" examining the patients at defined points of time. Simultaneously several rheological parameters of venous blood gained by punction of the cubital veine were examined before and after hemodilution therapy using dextran 40. The items or progress concerning clinical outcome and changes of the rheological parameters were correlated. There was not found any significance. We conclude, that the changes of rheological parameters in venous blood are not able to predict the clinical outcome after hemodilution therapy. The important role of disability scores--in our case the "Valduna-disability-score"--is to be stressed.

The present study has proved unequivocally the value of determining apolipoproteins A and B and the APO-L A/B quotient for establishing the risk for cerebrovascular disease. The determination of apolipoproteins should be preferred to the determination of HDL, LDL and VLDL, which has been practised so far. While only 30% of a group of 88 patients suffering from cerebrovascular disease had serum cholesterol levels of more than 250 mg/dl and approx. 57% showed HDL values below 40 mg/dl, a reduced APO-L A/B relation (less than 1.75) was demonstrated in 74%. A reduced APO-L A/B quotient was also observed in more than 70% of 62 CVD patients whose cholesterol level was within the range of normal. Determination of apolipoproteins may, therefore, be regarded as further progress in risk factor diagnostic of arteriosclerotic disease.

In 50 patients with encephalomalacia and 50 patients with a transient cerebral ischemic attack (TIA) the risk factors and viscosity of the whole blood as well as the hematocrit were determined before the start of treatment. Compared to a control group, the blood viscosity in patients with encephalomalacia was significantly increased (p less than 0.001) in all ranges of shearing velocity tested, in patients with TIA only at that shearing velocity which may be assumed for the area of microcirculation. This increase was related to the presence of arterial hypertension, hyperlipemia, heart failure, diabetes mellitus, hyperfibrinogenemia and increased tendency of thrombocytes and erythrocytes to aggregate. From the results obtained it was concluded that increased blood viscosity in the cerebral area of microcirculation with insufficient cerebral collateral circulation may decisively favor the development of encephalomalacia.