[Clinical and biological studies in the Bernard-Soulier syndrome (author's transl)]

Bernard-Soulier syndrome is a rare constitutional thrombopathy, the main clinical feature is a bleeding tendency which is variable. The long bleeding time, in spite of a normal or little decreased platelet count, has been recently explained: the giant platelets have a defective adhesion to subendothelium. This abnormal adhesion could be related with an abnormal pattern of platelet membrane glycoproteins. Interactions between vessel wall, von Willebrand's factor and platelets are discussed.