The present study reports a method for the easy, rapid and cost effective detection of heterozygous large deletions. As a model gene all exons of the antithrombin gene were amplified in a one tube multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the products separated according to their size by reverse-phase ion-pair high performance liquid chromatography. A significant reduction in the height of a peak in the probandOs sample compared to in the control indicates the presence of a large deletion of the corresponding allele. Using this approach we identified heterozygous deletions in four patients: the deletions affected exons 1 and 2, exon 7 and the whole antithrombin gene.