Abstract.A distinction is made between postinfection thrombocytopenia of childhood and idiopathic thrombocytopenia (ITP) of adulthood. Relative advantages of treatment modalities, including splenectomy, are weighed, with an emphasis on the administration of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) as an emergency measure in the adult patient with ITP. Management of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is also discussed, as is the case of a patient who became alloimmunized after 2 years of multiple transfusions used to treat an arteriovenous malformation of the small bowel.
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