Thromb Haemost 1985; 54(04): 873-876
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1660152
International Committee Communications
Schattauer GmbH Stuttgart

Multicenter Comparison of von Willebrand Factor Multimer Sizing Techniques

Report of the Factor VIII and von Willebrand Factor Subcommittee
P M Mannucci
+   The A. Bianchi Bonomi Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center, Hopital de Bicetre, Kremlin-Bicetre, France
,
C F Abildgaard
++   The University of Milano, Italy; the Dept, of Pediatrics, Hopital de Bicetre, Kremlin-Bicetre, France
,
H R Gralnick
+++   The University of California, Davis; the Hematology Service, Hopital de Bicetre, Kremlin-Bicetre, France
,
F G H Hill
*   The National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; the Dept, of Hematology, Hopital de Bicetre, Kremlin-Bicetre, France
,
L W Hoyer
**   The Children&s Hospital, Birmingham, England; Dept, of Medicine, Hopital de Bicetre, Kremlin-Bicetre, France
,
R Lombardi
+   The A. Bianchi Bonomi Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center, Hopital de Bicetre, Kremlin-Bicetre, France
,
I M Nilsson
***   The University of Connecticut Health Center; the General Hospital, Hopital de Bicetre, Kremlin-Bicetre, France
,
E Tuddenham
*+   The University of Lund, Malmoe, Sweden; K. Dormandy Hemophilia Center, Hopital de Bicetre, Kremlin-Bicetre, France
,
D Meyer
*++   The Royal Free Hospital, London, England, and the Institut de Pathologie Cellulaire, Hopital de Bicetre, Kremlin-Bicetre, France
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received 21 August 1985

Accepted 21 August 1985

Publication Date:
19 July 2018 (online)

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Summary

A multicenter study of various types of von Willebrand’s disease (vWD) was conducted in order to compare the different electrophoretic techniques used to evaluate von Willebrand factor multimers in plasma. Seven laboratories participated in the blind study of eight plasma samples from two healthy subjects and six vWD types and subtypes (la, lb, IIA, IIB, IIC and IID). From the results of the multimeric analysis of these samples, it appears that the differential diagnosis of vWD types and subtypes should be first approached by using a low-resolution electrophoretic technique, where each vWF multimer appears as a single band. Low-resolution techniques differentiate type I from type II, subtype la from lb and also subtype IIA from other type II subtypes. When type II subtypes other than IIA are identified with these techniques, samples should be rerun using high resolution techniques that resolve each of the fastest migrating multimers in at least three subbands, and permit the differentiation of subtypes IIB, IIC and IID.