title: In vivo demonstration of focal fibrinolytic activity in abdominal aortic aneurysms.
abstract: Disseminated intravascular coagulation in association with arterial aneurysm has been reported in several cases. Reports have suggested a continuous deposition of fibrin and/or platelets at the site of the aneurysm followed by fibrinolysis as responsible for this disorder. To further investigate this theory we studied the in vivo binding of an indium-111-labelled monoclonal antibody against human tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), a proteolytic enzyme involved in the fibrinolysis. Six patients admitted to the hospital for elective resection of an abdominal aortic aneurysm with a mural thrombus were examined. One day before the operation the antibody was injected intravenously. Scintigrams acquired just prior to operation and tissue samples obtained at the operation revealed an increased t-PA accumulation in the wall of the aneurysm. The study demonstrates in vivo, focally increased fibrinolytic activity in the aneurysm, explaining the coagulopathy observed in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology, Hillerød County Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tromholt
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hesse
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hansen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004211:Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005342:Fibrinolysis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007205:Indium Radioisotopes; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016719:Radioimmunodetection; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007205:Indium Radioisotopes; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator