[Measurement of reticulated platelet using whole blood: methodology and clinical application]

We established simple and rapid method to measure reticulated platelets using whole blood. After whole blood was fixed with paraformaldehyde, sample was stained with thiazole orange and analyzed using flow cytometer. %RP was significantly higher in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura(ITP) (27.7 +/- 14.3%) compared with that of normal subjects(11.9 +/- 3.1%), and elevated in 73% of ITP patients. Furthermore, %RP reflected the status of disease very well in a patient with ITP undergoing therapy. Our method can be effectively applied for differential diagnosis and assessment of the status of thrombocytopenic disorders.