The interpretation of platelet kinetic studies for the identification of sites of abnormal platelet destruction.

The kinetics of platelets labelled with 111In have been studied in a series of 175 subjects including 18 normal volunteers, and 12 patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), but excluding patients in whom there was scintigraphic evidence of intravascular platelet consumption. From analysis of the kinetics, the following parameters were calculated: splenic blood flow (SBF), intrasplenic platelet transit time (t-), splenic platelet pool capacity (expressed as a percentage of the total circulating platelet population), the fraction of the dose of labelled platelets ultimately destroyed in the spleen and the mean platelet life span (MPLS). SBF increased with increasing spleen size up to values of 25% total blood volume (TBV) per min. Some patients with immune complex related diseases were identified with elevated SBF (up to 24% TBV min-1) but without significant splenomegaly. Patients with cardiac decompensation had reduced SBF relative to spleen size. t- showed no relationship with spleen size. It tended to fall in patients who had high SBF relative to spleen size and to rise in those with low SBF relative to spleen size; i.e. it was inversely related to splenic perfusion (flow per unit tissue volume). The splenic platelet pool capacity is dependent on platelet input (SBF) and splenic platelet clearance (reciprocal of t-), and showed a close relationship with spleen size. When all subjects except those with ITP were considered, splenic platelet destruction showed a good correlation (r = 0.70, n = 42, P less than 0.001) with the splenic platelet pooling capacity. The ratio of the fraction of platelets destroyed in the spleen to the fraction pooling there, the D/P ratio, was approximately unity and did not appear to vary with MPLS, spleen size or the patient's condition, except in ITP where it varied between about 0.5 and 2. This variation in ITP was thought to be the result of an immune mediated re-direction of reticulo-endothelial platelet destruction. It is suggested that the D/P ratio, rather than the absolute quantity of 111In labelled platelets destroyed in the spleen, may be a more useful predictor of response to splenectomy since it takes into account the observed, appropriate, tendency for the spleen to destroy platelets in proportion to its platelet pooling capacity.