Shear-induced platelet aggregation (SIPA) in a patient with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia was examined during platelet infusion therapy. Prior to platelet infusion, SIPA measured with the modified cone-and-plate type viscometer, as well as ADP-and collagen-induced platelet aggregation measured with the conventional platelet aggregometer, were absent. The patient's SIPA after multiple infusions of platelet, in parallel with the bleeding time and the clinical hemostatic effect, improved to the normal level, while ADP-and collagen-induced platelet aggregation remained abnormal. These observations imply that SIPA is physiologically more relevant than the conventional agonist-induced platelet aggregometry in this type of the disease.
