Evaluation of the value of the first and third trimester maternal mean platelet volume (MPV) for prediction of pre-eclampsia

Introduction Pre-eclampsia is one of the most serious complications of pregnancy and one of the major causes of maternal mortality. Thus its prediction is a matter for serious concern. Objective The purpose of the present study is to determine the value of mean platelet volume (MPV) measurement in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy for the prediction of pre-eclampsia. Method A prospective nested case-control study was performed on pregnant women who were at 9-12 weeks of pregnancy. In the first trimester and again in 26-28 weeks, MPV was calculated. All eligible women were then monitored to delivery and the MPV of women who were pre-eclamptic was compared with the MPV of normotensive women. Results Pre-eclamptic women were compared with 269 normotensive women. MPV at the first trimester of pre-eclamptic women was significantly higher than normotensive women (10.2 ± 1.06 fl VS 9.68 ± 1.09 fl, P = 0.008). Also, MPV at the third trimester of pregnancy of pre-eclamptic women was more than normotensives (10.16 ± 1.23 fl VS 9.62 ± 1.12 fl, P = 0.009). Area under the curve in receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was calculated as 0.64 for the predictive value of MPV at the first and third trimesters of pregnancy, which showed a low value of this test for predicting of pre-eclampsia. Conclusion MPV at the first and third trimesters of pregnancy are higher in women who eventually would be pre-eclamptic, but has low predictive value and is not a good predictor of pre-eclampsia. © 2013 International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved