Autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura. Comparison of three different methods for the detection of platelet antibodies

An evaluation of three techniques for detection of antiplatelet antibodies in ATP is made. The platelet factor 3 availability after immunoinjury and the immunohystochemical technique using immunoperoxidase were more sensitive than 14C-5HT release from platelets for this purpose. The percentage of positive cases was similar in acute and chronic ATP patients while it significantly fell in cases in remission. A high proportion of patients in clinical remission had normal platelet aggregation, despite the persistence of antiplatelet antibodies.