Jd. Nielsen et al., LACK OF CORRELATION BETWEEN BLOOD FIBRINOLYSIS AND THE IMMEDIATE OR POSTOPERATIVE BLOOD-LOSS IN TRANSURETHRAL RESECTION OF THE PROSTATE, British Journal of Urology, 80(1), 1997, pp. 105-110
Objective To evaluate whether the activation of the extrinsic tissue-t
ype plasminogen activator-related fibrinolysis is implicated in the bl
ood loss in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, undergoing tra
nsurethral prostatic resection (TURF). Patients and methods TURF was p
erformed in 24 men and the operative and post-operative blood loss det
ermined. The activation of the tissue-type plasminogen activator-relat
ed fibrinolysis was followed using new sensitive and specific assays,
and the changes related to the blood loss, Measurements of the plasma
concentrations of free tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) activi
ty, tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) antigen, plasminogen acti
vator inhibitor (PAI) activity, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI
-1) antigen, plasminogen (Plg) activity, plasminogen (Plg) antigen, al
pha(2)-antiplasmin (alpha(2)-AP), D-dimer and fibrin degradation produ
cts (FbDP) were all determined and the area under the curve (AUG) for
each of these quantities correlated with the blood loss, Results TURP
was followed by a marked activation of the fibrinolytic system. There
was an immediate increase in systemic t-PA activity and t-PA antigen,
coinciding with a significant drop in PAI activity. Postoperatively, P
AI activity and PAI-1 antigen increased. The formation of plasmin was
indicated by a fall in the plasma concentration of Pig activity and Pl
g-antigen and alpha(2)-AP but which increased significantly at the end
of the study period. Increased systemic fibrinolytic activity was fur
ther confirmed by a marked increase in fibrin D-dimer and FbDP. There
was no correlation between the AUC in the operative period of any of t
he fibrinolytic variables and the measured blood loss. In the post-ope
rative period, t-PA antigen (P=0.004), PAI activity (P=0.043), PAI-1 a
ntigen (P=0.016) and alpha(2)-AP (P=0.047) all correlated with the pos
t-operative blood loss, while there was no correlation between fibrin
D-dimer or FbDP and blood loss. Conclusion The fibrinolytic system is
activated during and after TURF, but the increased activity is not of
pathophysiological importance for the blood loss.