The cryohemolysis test has been proposed as a new method of identifying her
editary spherocytosis. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the
sensitivity and specificity of this method in comparison to the measurement
of osmotic fragility. The examination included 61 patients suffering from
hereditary spherocytosis and 58 patients with other hemolytic and nonhemoly
tic anemias. Hereditary spherocytosis patients showed significantly higher
cryohemolysis values (median 29.7%, range 12.3-50.2%) than both normal subj
ects (median 3%, range 0.5-27%) and all other anemic patients excepting tho
se with immune hemolytic anemia (median 4%, range 0.5-10.1%). Analysis of i
mmune hemolytic anemia revealed broadly scattered values ranging from 1.4%
to 53.5% (median 8.6%). Taking 15% as the threshold value, the sensitivity
and specificity of the cryohemolysis test for hereditary spherocytosis were
95% and 96%, respectively. It is concluded that the simple-to-perform cryo
hemolysis test is quite comparable to the estimation of red cell osmotic fr
agility and therefore very useful as a diagnostic measure of hereditary sph
erocytosis.