Acute thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura following orthopedic surgery: a case report.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) or Moschowitz's syndrome is characterized by release of unusually large von Willebrand factor (ULvWF) multimers and a deficiency of vWF metalloprotease. It is a very rare condition, but it causes serious problems. The etiology is still unknown, although surgical stress has been associated with TTP, probably by releasing massive amounts of ULvWF.