Is Mean Platelet Volume a Reliable Marker to Predict Ischemic Stroke in the Follow-Up of Patients with Carotid Stenosis?

Background The objective of the study is to evaluate the reliability of mean platelet volume (MPV) for predicting ischemic stroke (cerebrovascular event [CVE]) among patients with different degrees of carotid stenosis. Methods Fifty-two patients with CVEs, 136 patients with carotid artery disease (CAD), and 40 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. All participants were divided into the following groups according to CAD: absence of stenosis, less than 50% stenosis, 50%-69% stenosis, and 70% or more to total occlusion of the internal carotid artery. For each participant, the parameters of CAD were assessed using ultrasonography. To obtain the values of CRP and MPV and the leukocyte and platelet counts, all samples were processed within 30 minutes after blood collection. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the association between the values of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and MPV and carotid stenosis. Results In terms of age and gender, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups (P =.094 and P =.428, respectively). However, CRP values in patients with CAD and CVEs were significantly higher than those in the controls (P <.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the CRP values in patients with CAD and CVEs (P =.249). Moreover, the MPV values did not show any significant difference between the groups (P =.053) and among the patients with CAD (P =.64). There was no positive correlation between serum CRP and MPV values in patients with CAD regarding the degree of carotid stenosis (r =.061, P =.477). Conclusion The findings of this study claim that MPV has no predictive value during follow-up of the patients with CAD for CVEs. © 2015 National Stroke Association