Platelet function assays in diagnosis: an update.

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Clinical Pathology
• Diagnostic Laboratory Medicine

Background:

• Hemorrhagic diseases stem from inherited platelet function disorders (IPFD) and acquired platelet function disorders (APFD).
• Accurate identification necessitates thorough clinical assessment and appropriate laboratory diagnostic assays.
• Platelet function disorders present significant diagnostic challenges in clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current and experimental laboratory techniques for assessing platelet function.
• To discuss alterations in platelet function observed in various platelet disorders.
• To highlight the limitations of existing diagnostic methods and propose future directions.

Main Methods:

• Review of available laboratory techniques for platelet function assessment.
• Discussion of new and experimental assays.
• Analysis of diagnostic challenges and limitations.

Main Results:

• Existing laboratory tests, while useful, do not fully replicate in vivo conditions.
• Lack of standardization, complexity, and inability to reproduce platelet reactions limit current assays.
• Newer techniques and next-generation sequencing show promise for improved diagnostics.

Conclusions:

• Current platelet function tests often fail to meet the goals of rapid diagnosis, bleeding risk assessment, and monitoring of interventions.
• Standardization, improvement, and expansion of assays are crucial.
• Development of diagnostic algorithms and implementation of next-generation sequencing are recommended for IPFD.