The utility of thrombo-elastography in the monitoring of aspirin therapy.

To assess the utility of the thrombo-elastogram in monitoring of aspirin therapy 25 healthy volunteers were selected and given low-dose aspirin therapy. Thrombo-elastography and platelet aggregometry were conducted at baseline and 1 week later. After 1 week of aspirin therapy, thrombo-elastogram data failed to demonstrate a significant change in the clotting profile. Platelet aggregometry identified significant changes in the clotting profile in response to stimulation with arachidonic acid, adrenaline and ADP. We conclude that thrombo-elastography may not have utility in monitoring of response to aspirin.