Monitoring of platelet activation and function after ischemic stroke Thrombozytenaktivität und -funktion nach ischämischem zerebralem Insult

Assessment of platelet activation after ischemic stroke could be clinically valuable if platelet markers existed that predict the risk of recurrent events and reflect the effect of antiplatelet therapy. Recently developed techniques such as the detection of activation-dependent neoantigens on the platelet surface by flow cytometry, the platelet function analyzer (PFA), or whole blood aggregometry represent methods that in the future could become helpful tools in stroke care. Studies showed an increased expression of activation-dependent markers such as CD62p (p-selectin) or CD63 after ischemic stroke, however, for these and other parameters it remains unclear whether an increased expression at any time point after stroke heralds an increased risk of future events. Sufficiently powered studies on the predictive value of platelet activation parameters and on effects of antiplatelet agents on these parameters after stroke are required in order to validate the potential clinical usefulness of these recently developed techniques.