[Relationships between hemopoiesis and peripheral blood counts in untreated and 32P-treated patients with polycythaemia vera (author's transl)].

The composition of the hemopoiesis was determined in iliac crest biopsies of 51 patients with polycythaemia vera. There was a good correlation between thrombopoiesis and thrombocytes and, to a minor degree also between erythropoiesis and erythrocytes in untreated patients as well as between granulopoiesis and granulocytes in 32P-treated patients. In patients with normal blood counts there existed no correlation between the bone marrow and the blood counts within smaller limits of the cell count. Histomorphometric analysis shows no difference either between untreated and 32P-treated patients or between patients with and without splenomegaly. This is an argument against a significant intrasplenic hemopoiesis or an intrasplenic cell pooling, or destruction (hypersplenism), respectively. The blood sinusoids are hyperplastic and distended. With increasing hyperplasia of the hemopoiesis the sinusoids become relatively smaller. So changes in vascularisation may be of importance in the infrequent transitions into myelofibrosis and/or leukemia.