title: Preoperative screening for von Willebrand disease type 1: low yield and limited ability to predict bleeding.
abstract: Type 1 von Willebrand disease (vWd) is the most common hereditary bleeding disorder. The objective of this study was to measure the von Willebrand factor antigen (vWf:Ag) in a large cohort of patients who underwent surgery to assess the role of a new rapid immunoassay in a screening procedure for vWd in preoperative conditions. We studied 832 consecutive patients (540 children, 292 adults) referred to the surgical departments. For each patient we determined the vWf:Ag level with two different assays, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)(Asserachrom vWf:Ag; Diagnostica Stago, France) and a rapid immunoassay (Liatest vWf:Ag; Diagnostica Stago). Using the reference test, we found 30 of 832 patients with a vWf:Ag value below the lower limits (21 U/dL to 46 U/dL). The coefficient of correlation between the two tests was 0.77 (P = .001). When receiver operating characteristic curves were used, the cutoff value calculated to detect vWf:Ag defect with the rapid assay was 68.5 U/dL, leading to 0.36% false negatives and 9.7% false positives. Thus the rapid immunoassay appears to be a useful and easy method that is adaptable to urgent situations. Among the 30 patients with low values in ELISA, 8 had personal or familial bleeding history. Repeat blood samples confirmed the diagnosis of vWd in 5 cases, leading to a prevalence of vWd type 1 of 0.6%. However, in our series the absence of severe bleeding complications raises the question of the screening and the management of patients bearing a type 1 Willebrand disease during surgery.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Hématologie, Département d'Anesthésie-Réanimation, et d'Informatique Médicale, Hôpital Universitaire, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Biron
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mahieu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rochette
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Capdevila
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castex
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Amiral
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: D'Athis
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Schved
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001322:Autoanalysis / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011300:Preoperative Care; D015995:Prevalence; D012372:ROC Curve; D014842:von Willebrand Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D014841:von Willebrand Factor