Laboratory diagnosis of thrombophilia by endothelial-cell-modulated coagulation

This study investigated whether the addition of endothelial cells to blood or blood plasma is of value in global laboratory diagnostic testing for thr ombotic tendency. Plasma from thrombotic patients and healthy individuals w as exposed to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), in monolayers or suspensions, and fibrin deposition or clotting time, respectively, was registered. The latter was determined by a novel rheometric procedure that also gave information about coagulum rigidity. Plasma from patients (n = 10 ) tended to deposit more fibrin on HUVEC monolayers than plasma from health y individuals (n = 10). When mixed with suspended HUVEC, plasma from patien ts (n = 14) showed shorter clotting times than plasma from healthy individu als [n = 13; 4.79 +/- 1.02 min (mean +/- SD) compared with 6.80 +/- 1.50 mi n, P < 0.001]. Coagulum rigidity among patients also differed from that of healthy individuals (P < 0.05). The study showed that the addition of endot helial cells to blood plasma is of value in global laboratory diagnostic te sting for thrombotic tendency. Blood Coag Fibrinol 10:173-179 (C) 1999 Lipp incott Williams & Wilkins.