Agregomeetría

Agregometría is a laboratory technique used to measure the aggregation of platelets. Platelets are small, irregularly shaped cell fragments that circulate in the blood and play a crucial role in hemostasis, the process of stopping bleeding. When a blood vessel is injured, platelets become activated and adhere to the site of injury, then aggregate or clump together to form a platelet plug. This aggregation is a key step in forming a blood clot.

The agregometría test typically involves drawing a blood sample from a patient and then adding various aggregating agents to the platelet-rich plasma. Common aggregating agents include adenosine diphosphate (ADP), collagen, ristocetin, and thrombin. These agents trigger the platelets to aggregate, and the agregometer instrument measures the change in light transmission through the sample as the platelets clump together. A more turbid sample (due to platelet aggregation) will block more light.

The results of an agregometría test can help diagnose various bleeding disorders, monitor the effectiveness of antiplatelet medications like aspirin or clopidogrel, and assess platelet function in conditions such as von Willebrand disease or Bernard-Soulier syndrome. Abnormal platelet aggregation can indicate either an overactive tendency to clot (thrombosis) or an impaired ability to stop bleeding (hemorrhage). Understanding platelet function through agregometría is therefore important in both clinical diagnosis and therapeutic management.