title: Heparin cofactor II deficiency.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review of the state of the art relating to congenital heparin cofactor II deficiency as a potential risk factor for thrombosis, as reflected by the medical literature and the consensus opinion of recognized experts in the field, and to make recommendations for the use of laboratory assays for assessing this thrombotic risk in individual patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review of the medical literature, primarily from the last 10 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  After an initial assessment of the literature, including review of clinical study design and laboratory methods, a draft manuscript was prepared and circulated to participants in the College of American Pathologists Conference XXXVI: Diagnostic Issues in Thrombophilia. Recommendations were accepted if a consensus of experts attending the conference was reached. The results of the discussion were used to revise the manuscript into its final form.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consensus was reached that there is insufficient evidence to recommend testing for heparin cofactor II deficiency in patients with thromboembolic disease.
authors.affiliation: Hematology Division, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo 63110, USA. tollefsen@im.wustl.edu
authors.forename: Douglas M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Tollefsen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001780:Blood Coagulation Tests; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D015844:Heparin Cofactor II / Q000032:analysis / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009154:Mutation; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D019851:Thrombophilia / Q000175:diagnosis; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D015844:Heparin Cofactor II