Spontaneous Echo Contrast Caused by Platelet and Leukocyte Aggregates?
- 1 May 2001
- journal article
- clinical trial
- Published by Wolters Kluwer Health in Stroke
- Vol. 32 (5) , 1127-1133
- https://doi.org/10.1161/01.str.32.5.1127
Abstract
Background and Purpose —Spontaneous echocardiographic contrast (SEC) is correlated to clinical thromboembolic events. We sought to determine the origin of SEC by utilizing direct analysis of left atrial blood. Methods —We examined the blood of 13 patients with and 19 without SEC. Blood samples were taken from the femoral vein and artery and from the right and left atria after transseptal puncture. Samples were incubated with fluorescence-labeled antibodies directed against the platelet (CD41a-PE, CD42b-PE, and CD62p-FITC) and leukocyte membrane epitopes (CD45-APC and CD14-FITC). The expressed epitopes were analyzed by dual laser flow cytometry immediately after blood withdrawal. Results —In the peripheral blood of both groups, more activation and aggregation were found in the venous blood than in the arterial blood (CD41a, P =0.007; CD14neutro, P =0.017; and leukocyte-platelet aggregates [LTAg], P =0.002). In patients without SEC, the degree of activation and aggregation of the cardiac samples closely resembled the results of the peripheral samples. The degree of activation and aggregation was significantly higher in the right atrium than in the left atrium (LTAg, P P P P P r =0.92, P Conclusions —The hypothesis that platelet aggregates are involved in the pathogenesis of SEC is supported by the fact that platelets in the left atrium of patients with SEC showed more activation.Keywords
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