Quantitative assessment of platelet function following addition of stimulating agents (agonists). Aggregation can be monitored in two ways: 1) light transmission through stirred platelet rich plasma (PRP) using a photometer or 2) electrical resistance in whole blood or PRP using an impedance method. Platelet secretion of ATP from dense granules can be simultaneously monitored as luminescence during the course of agonist induced aggregation provided luciferin-luciferase is initially added to a whole blood or PRP suspension in a lumiaggregometer.
