Platelet aggregation test

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• infant test or procedure preparation (birth to 1 year)
• toddler test or procedure preparation (1 to 3 years)
• preschooler test or procedure preparation (3 to 6 years)
• schoolage test or procedure preparation (6 to 12 years)
• adolescent test or procedure preparation (12 to 18 years)

When the needle is inserted to draw blood, some people feel moderate pain, while others feel only a prick or stinging sensation. Afterward, there may be some throbbing.

This test is most often indicated when there is a bleeding tendency qualitatively similar to low-platelet bleeding despite normal platelet count (normal number of platelets).

Platelets (thrombocytes) are small cells in the bloodstream that are part of the blood clotting process. They are manufactured in the bone marrow. When bleeding occurs, platelets clump together at the site of injury, swell, and stick to the injured area, acting as a plug to reduce the bleeding.

Platelet aggregation tests help to diagnose diseases of platelet dysfunction and distinguish between inherited bleeding problems (such as hemophilia or von Willebrand disease) and acquired bleeding problems (those that occur because of another disorder or as a side-effect of medication).

Review Date: 04/15/2005
Reviewed By: Rita Nanda, MD, Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.