[Experience with the glycerol lysis test in acid medium in diagnosis of hereditary spherocytosis].

The acidified glycerol lysis test (AGLT) is highly sensitive for hereditary spherocytosis (HS). In all 50 patients of the Children's Hospital of the Medical Academy Magdeburg suffering from HS the 50% lysis time was found to be pathological between 19 and 110 seconds. However, pathological results of this test were also found in autoimmune haemolytic anaemias. AGLT was negative in non-spherocytic haemolytic anaemias and normal controls. In conclusion, the AGLT is a rapid, simple and inexpensive screening procedure for spherocytes in blood.