Capillary model of crystal microchannel for red blood cell deformability measurement

To measure red blood cell (RBC) deformability in vitro, we used microchannels on a crystal substrate as a capillary model. We observed axisymmetry deformed RBCs to estimate their deformability and decided deformability index directly from RBCs themselves. The flowing RBCs in 200 folds through microscopy were recorded with an image-intensified high speed video camera-system. This system allowed us to record individual RBC images clearly. We confirmed that the crystal microchannel is a valuable tool for RBC deformability measurement. Microangiopathy is a characteristic complication of diabetes mellitus. The decrease of RBC deformability is thought to cause this complication. In order to identify the deference in RBCs deformability between normal and diabetic RBCs. We could confirm that deformability of diabetic RBCs were much lower than normal ones, and this result suggests a possibility of serious damage in diabetic microcirculation.