Evaluation of platelet parameters in patients with pulmonary hydatid cyst

Echinococcosis is a near-cosmopolitan zoonosis caused by adult or larval stages of tapeworms (cestodes) into the genus Echinococcus (family Taeniidae). It was demonstrated that platelets were capable of killing parasites independent from leukocytes.

The aim of our study was to examine mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet mass (PM) and platelet count (PC), which are practical indicators of platelet activity in preoperative and postoperative periods of the patients with hydatid cyst.

In this retrospective study we evaluated 72 patients admitted to clinic of chest surgery with a diagnosis of pulmonary hydatid cyst in our hospital between January, 2006, and October, 2008. The MPV, PC, and PM were evaluated by complete blood count. PM was calculated by multiplying MPV and PLT.

PREOPERATIVE MPV VALUES OF THE PATIENTS WAS FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN POSTOPERATIVE MPV VALUES (MEAN: 8.07±0.83, 7.78±0.87, p= 0.002). Preoperative PM values (median: 2456.75, range: 1013.70-5046.60) was found to be higher when compared to postoperative PM values (median: 2280.80, range: 134.20-4042.60) (p= 0.039). PC values were not significantly different between two periods (Preoperative-postoperative PC mean values: 320.48±98.42, 307.29±96.45, p= 0.286).

In this study, we demonstrated that there were no statistical difference in PC for both periods but, MPV and PM were found statistical higher than postoperative period in preoperative period. PM and PM can be used as markers of disease activity in patients who undergo surgical resection of hydatid cyst.