A computer model of the random binary sequential division of megakaryocyte cytoplasm to produce platelets.

A computer program is constructed which models the production of platelet volumes from megakaryocyte cytoplasmic volumes by random binary sequential division. The volume distributions that are produced are compared with measured platelet volume distributions in rat, rabbit and man. These platelet volume distributions depend on the fragmentation pattern and the dispersion about the mean of the Gaussian distribution of binary divisions. The results of changing one of these parameters, while keeping the other fixed, are also presented.