A study of thrombus formation in vitro suggests that scarring or roughening of the arterial wall by the atherosclerotic process is probably more important in the genesis of thrombosis than the constituents of the blood itself. This is the principal indication of a study by Hyman Engelberg, MD, Cedars of Lebanon Hospital, Beverly Hills, Calif.
Engelberg used the Chandler technique to explore the relationship of the thrombus formation time (TFT) to age, sex, cholesterol level, hematocrit, and the degree of smoothness of the circulating channel.
In the Chandler technique, recalcified whole blood is placed in a closed plastic tube and circulated at a speed approximating the blood flow in man. "Under these conditions, which resemble those in the vascular system, a thrombus forms," Engelberg said. "Apparently the motion of the blood is the important additional factor involved in the initial event, the formation of the platelet head of the thrombus."