The usefulness of the platelet function analyser (PFA-100) in screening for underlying bleeding disorders in women with menorrhagia

The prevalence of underlying bleeding disorders is common in women with menorrhagia. This was a prospective study to screen for the underlying bleeding disorders in women presenting with menorrhagia by using the PFA-100 and comparing the accuracy of the results with the complete haematological assays. A total of 62 women referred to gynaecology outpatients with a history of heavy, regular periods had blood collected for analysis by the PFA-100 and also a full coagulation profile including von Willebrand factor. PFA-100 analysis suggested platelet defects in 10 (16%) women. This included five (8%) identified with von Willebrand disease, two (3.2%) with storage pool disorders and three (4.8%) without any recognisable platelet or bleeding disorders after a full coagulation profile, including von Willebrand factor, was carried out. PFA-100 results had a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 94.8% in our study. We conclude that PFA-100 is a quick and reliable method of screening for impaired haemostasis in patients with menorrhagia.