Differences in fibrin fiber diameters in healthy... : Blood Coagulation & Fibrinolysis (original) (raw)
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Differences in fibrin fiber diameters in healthy individuals and thromboembolic ischemic stroke patients
Pretorius, Etheresiaa; Steyn, Helenab; Engelbrecht, Miaa; Swanepoel, Albe C.a; Oberholzer, Hester M.b
aDepartment of Physiology
bDepartment of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Correspondence to Etheresia Pretorius, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Private Bag x323, ARCADIA, 0007, South AfricaTel: +27 12 420 2864; fax: +27 12 319 2240; e-mail: [email protected]
Received 29 June, 2011
Revised 28 July, 2011
Accepted 11 August, 2011
Abstract
Cerebrovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death and the cause of long-term adult disability. An important characteristic of thromboembolic ischemic stroke is a prothrombotic or hypercoagulable state and altered fibrin clot structure, whereas a resistance to fibrinolysis is also present. An expansive fibrin network is created when adding thrombin, and in stroke, the network appears thickened, netted and matted, compared with that of healthy individuals. Although this is clearly visible in micrographs of patients, there is a need to quantify the changes. The current study, therefore, investigates fibrin fiber diameters in stroke patients and compares it to healthy individuals. The fiber diameters were measured in nanometres, with University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) Image Tool. A total of 100 measurements were done for each of the 12 patients in the healthy control group, and the same number of measurements was done for 12 stroke patients. These measurements were statistically analysed with NCSS 2007, using a significance level of 0.05. Normality was assessed with the Shapiro–Wilk W test and the thickest and thinnest fiber of each individual in the two groups was quantified and differences between groups were assessed with the Student's _t_-test. Results showed that there is a statistical difference in fibrin fiber thickness during thromboembolic ischemic stroke. We conclude that the changed coagulation and hemostasis, typically associated with stroke, causes a statistically relevant change in fibrin thickness, and that this netted and matted network is more resistant to lyses.
© 2011 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.