Laboratory diagnosis of lupus inhibitors: a comparison of the tissue thromboplastin inhibition procedure with a new platelet neutralization procedure.

The introduction of the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) as a screening test has resulted in increased recognition of circulating anticoagulants. The most frequently encountered inhibitor is the lupus-type anticoagulant. However, criteria for differentiation of this inhibitor are not well-established. We evaluated the ability of two procedures, tissue thromboplastin inhibition (TTI) and a new platelet neutralization procedure (PNP), to differentiate between various types of coagulation inhibitors. The TTI, widely used for the diagnosis of lupus anticoagulants, proved to be nonspecific. The PNP specifically separated lupus-type inhibitors from Factor VIII, X, and V inhibitors. The PNP may be a useful test for the diagnosis of lupus anticoagulants.