[Autotransfusion with acute hemodilution in the surgical treatment of scoliosis (author's transl)].

With the goal to reduce the number and the volume of homologous blood transfusions during surgical treatment of scoliosis and spine deformities, the authors have studied the results of 50 cases treated with immediate acute haemodilutional autotransfusion. In 40 per cent of the case neither per nor post operative homologous blood transfusion was necessary. In addition they have seen a surprising result such as a significant lowering of absolute blood loss during surgery compared to a similar series treated without haemodilutional autotransfusion. Physiopathological principles, precise technique used and limitation of the method are described.