A characteristic flow cytometric pattern with broad forward scatter and narrowed side scatter helps diagnose immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).

A characteristic flow cytometric pattern with broad forward scatter and narrowed side scatter helps diagnose immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Int J Hematol. 2018 Apr 16;: Authors: Araki R, Nishimura R, Kuroda R, Fujiki T, Mase S, Noguchi K, Ikawa Y, Maeba H, Yachie A Abstract Various disorders cause severe thrombocytopenia, which can lead to critical hemorrhage. Procedures that rapidly support the diagnosis and risk factors for serious bleeding were explored, with a focus on immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Twenty-five patients with thrombocytopenia, including 13 with newly diagnosed ITP, 3 with chronic ITP, 6 with aplastic anemia (AA), and 3 with other thrombocytopenia (one acute myeloid leukemia, one acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and one hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis), were reviewed. In addition to platelet-related parameters obtained by an automated hematology analyzer, flow cytometric analysis of platelets was performed. A characteristic flow cytometric pattern with broad forward scatter and narrowed side scatter, which is specific to ITP, but not other types of thrombocytopenia, was found. CD62P-positive platelets were increased in newly diagnosed ITP cases compared to control (P < 0.0001), AA (P = 0.0032). Moreover, detection of dramatic changes in these parameters on sequential monitoring may suggest internal hemorrhage, even absent skin or visible mucosal bleeding. The bleeding score for visible mucosae had a nega...
Source: International Journal of Hematology - Category: Hematology Authors: Tags: Int J Hematol Source Type: research