Mechanisms underlying thrombocytopenia in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Thrombocytopenia is one of the most common hematological problems among neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), but in the majority of cases the kinetic mechanism responsible is unclear. This review focuses on both traditional and innovative methods used to evaluate the mechanisms responsible for thrombocytopenia in neonates, and analyzes the data generated from those methods.


CONCLUSIONS
Results of studies using new methods for evaluating thrombocytopenia, coupled with recent descriptions of marrow megakaryocyte mass, suggest that decreased platelet production complicates most cases of thrombocytopenia among neonates in the NICU.
Sola
M C
MC
Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. Solamc@peds.ufl.edu
Rimsza
L M
LM
D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D008533:Megakaryocytes / Q000502:physiology; D010976:Platelet Count; D017713:Platelet Transfusion / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000196:embryology* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013926:Thrombopoietin / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D013926:Thrombopoietin