Predictive and prognostic role of mean platelet volume in patients with first-ever acute ischemic stroke

To investigate any possible effects of mean platelet volume (MPV) on short-term stroke prognosis and functional outcome in patients with first-ever acute ischemic stroke (FEAIS).

This retrospective cross-sectional study included 798 FEAIS patients admitted to the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital in Adiyaman, Turkey between January 2013 and June 2015. The data were evaluated according to whether alive or dead, MPV levels, modified Rankin scale (MRS) scores, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores. The patients were divided into 3 groups based on MPV level as 4.4-7.4 fL, 7.5-10.4 fL, higher than 10.4 fL.

A total of 250 patients with FEAIS were included in the study. In both those who survived and those who died, the area under the curve related to hospitalization days, time interval of venipuncture (TIV), and MPV measurements was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The 3 MPV groups showed no significant differences in terms of MRS score, median NIHSS score, hospitalization, and TIV. In subgroups based on MRS scores, there were no statistically significant differences according to median latency (p=0.087), median hospitalization (p=0.394), TIV (p=0.201), and MPV levels (p=0.847). Furthermore, there were no differences in MPV levels between the MRS based groups (p=0.527).

The results showed that MPV was not a significantly associated and reliable marker for the prediction of prognosis or functional outcome of FEAIS attack.