Studies on Thrombopoiesis : II. Thrombocytopoiesis in Vitro from the Bone Marrow of Patients with Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Thrombocytopoiesis was studied by direct, continuous observation in tissue cultures of bone marrows taken from three patients with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and from normals following the addition of a potent anti-platelet serum to the culture media.

The process of platelet production was similar in these two conditions and followed the pattern observed in bone marrow cultures of healthy individuals. The breakdown of megakaryocytes of patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and those treated with anti-platelet serum was greatly accelerated.

No morphologic evidence of injury to the megakaryocytes was present.

The platelets produced showed degenerative changes, they were agglutinated and underwent phagocytosis by the myeloid elements and reticulum cells were present in the cultures.