HEPARIN-INDUCED EXTRACORPOREAL FIBRINOGEN LDL PRECIPITATION (HELP) - A PROMISING REGIMEN FOR THE TREATMENT OF VASCULAR DISEASES/

Current management of atherosclerotic diseases consists primarily of m edical therapy designed to increase oxygen supply to the heart, the br ain, retinal vessels, or lower limbs. The development of these disease s is based on atherosclerotic changes induced by risk factors such as elevated levels of fibrinogen and lipoproteins. These risk factors are related to a dramatic deterioration of the hemorrheologic pattern, wh ich reduces perfusion. Consequently, attempts are now being made to tr eat ischemia via hemorrheological intervention. A new treatment modali ty utilizing the heparin-induced extracorporeal low-density lipoprotei n (LDL) precipitation (HELP), offers the possibility of obtaining ther apeutic success not only in cases of severe hypercholesterolemia but a lso in the field of hemorrheology. With HELP a safe and rapid reductio n of fibrinogen and lipid fractions has become feasible, thus providin g acute improvements of red cell aggregation, of the filterability of blood cells, of whole-blood and plasma viscosity, and thereby of micro circulation. Because cerebrovascular diseases are known to be related to disturbances of the hemorrheological situation, the HELP system is used in the Department of Electrobiology of Graz for the treatment of acute stroke, cerebral multiinfarct disease, and occlusions of retinal arteries.