Which procedure can be modified to measure fibrinogen levels?

The thrombin time is a procedure that directly assesses the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin and can be modified to evaluate fibrinogen levels. When performing the thrombin time, the addition of a known amount of thrombin to the sample can help determine the functionality of fibrinogen. This can be particularly useful in diagnosing conditions related to abnormal fibrinogen levels, such as in cases of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) or in certain liver diseases.

By modifying the thrombin time, clinicians can quantify the efficiency of fibrinogen conversion, providing insight into its levels and functionality. This measure is especially relevant when other tests, such as prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), may not provide direct information about fibrinogen content. The thrombin time's sensitivity to fibrinogen allows it to serve as an effective tool in the evaluation of coagulation pathways specifically related to fibrinogen's role in clot formation.