Structure of shear-induced platelet aggregated clot formed in an in vitro arterial thrombosis model

The structure of occlusive arterial thrombi is described herein. Macroscopic thrombi were made from whole blood in a collagen-coated, large-scale stenosis model with high shear flow similar to an atherosclerotic artery. The millimeter-sized thrombi were harvested for histology and scanning electron microscopy. Histological images showed 3 distinctive structures of the thrombus. (1) The upstream region showed string-like platelet aggregates growing out from the wall that protrude into the central lumen, with red blood cells trapped between the strings. The strings were > 10 times as long as they were wide and reached out to join the strings from the opposite wall. (2) Near the apex, the platelet strings coalesced into a dense mass with microchannels that effectively occluded the lumen. (3) In the expansion region, the thrombus ended abruptly with an annulus of free blood in the flow-separation zone. Scanning electron microscopy showed dense clusters of spherical platelets upstream and downstream, with amorphous platelets in the occluded throat consistent with prior activation. The total clot is estimated to contain 1.23 billion platelets with pores 10 to 100 mm in diameter. The results revealed a complex structure of arterial thrombi that grow from their tips under high shear stress to bridge the 2.5-mm lumen quickly with von Willebrand factor platelet strings. The occlusion leaves many microchannels that allow for some flow through the bulk of the thrombus. This architecture can create occlusion or hemostasis rapidly with minimal material, yet can remain porous for potential delivery of lytic agents to the core of the thrombus.