Platelet function assays

The roles of platelets in hemostasis and arterial thrombosis involve their adherence to sites of vessel injury or ruptured atherosclerotic plaques, aggregation to form hemostatic plugs or thrombi, and acceleration of the coagulation cascade leading to the formation of thrombin. These roles of platelets are described in this review, hereditary platelet defects and other abnormalities associated with bleeding disorders are listed, and the various aggregating agents are discussed. A number of tests of platelet function are reviewed, including a description of their advantages and disadvantages: bleeding time determination; measurement of platelet aggregation in citrated platelet-rich plasma by recording changes in light transmission; measurement of platelet aggregation in citrated whole blood by impedance aggregometry; measurement of platelet-related hemostasis with the high shear Platelet Function Analyzer (PFA-100) system and the Ultegra Rapid Platelet Function Assay; use of the Cone and Plate(let) Analyzer to measure platelet adherence and aggregation under conditions of high shear; measurement of secretion of granule contents (ATP, 14C-serotonin, platelet factor 4, beta-thromboglobulin) and the formation of thromboxane B(2); and use of flow cytometry to assess the state of platelet activation (including conformational changes in membrane glycoproteins and surface expression of P-selectin and phosphatidylserine) ex vivo and in vitro following addition of agonists, and to measure levels of platelet membrane glycoproteins in the detection of inherited deficiencies.