Thrombopathic thrombocytopenia; successful transfusion of blood platelets.

T HE OPPORTUNITY presented itself recently for the study of a case of chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura characterized by the presence of unusually large agranular platelets. Several features indicated that the platelets were physiologically defective and led to the diagnosis of a thrombopathic or thrombasthenic type of thrombocytopenic purpura. When a blood transfusion from a polycythemic donor with an excessive number of normal blood platelets was administered by means of silicone coated syringes, it was possible to make certain studies of platelet physiology and platelet survival time. The resulting observations and the deductions drawn from them form the basis of this r. port.