Morphological Study on the Effect of Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone Infusion upon the Reticuloendothelial System

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Abstract
In order to make clear polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) storage in the human body and to see its side-effects, 34 autopsy cases which had received intravenous infusion of various total doses of the substance were submitted to detailed pathological, histochemical and biochemical studies. Clinical symptoms were also taken into consideration in the analysis of the cases. The lesions due to PVP storage were microscopically characterized by proliferation of foam cells, deposition of vacuolar or basophilic substances, occasional appearance of multinuclear giant cells and formation of granulomatous structures in rare instances. These findings were demonstrated in various organs and tissues, especially all over the reticuloendothelial system. PVP storage in the tissue was apparently more pronounced as the total dose administered was increased. In the kidney, PVP storage assumed microscopically the feature of a kind of nephrosis. In several cases which had received a total of more than 200 g of PVP of intermediate molecular weight, large deposits of the substance developed throughout the reticuloendothelial system and in the kidney. In such cases, it seemed probable that heavy PVP deposits exerted unfavorable effects on the organism through blockade of the reticuloendothelial system, impairment of resistance retardation in the repair of inflammation or surgical wounds, acceleration of existing cancerous growths or damage to renal tissue.

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