Hasan Erdem1, Recep Aktimur2, Suleyman Cetinkunar1, Enver Reyhan1, Cihan Gokler1, Oktay Irkorucu1, Selim Sozen3. 1Adana Numune Education and Research Hospital, Department of General Surgery, Adana, Turkey, 2Samsun Education and Research Hospital, Department of General Surgery, Samsun, Turkey, 3Namik Kemal University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Surgery, Tekirdag, TURKEY
Background: Diagnosis of acute appendicitis remains to be challenging with up to 30% negative exploration rates. In addition to careful clinical history and physical examination, we still need easily applicable, cheap and effective biomarker.
Patients and Methods: A retrospective case-controlled study was designed in two groups, both containing 100 patients, acute appendicitis and control. Leukocyte count, neutrophil percentage, platelet count and meal platelet volume (MPV) were compared.
Results: MPV values for acute appendicitis and control groups were 7.4±0.9 fL (5.6-10.6) and 9.1±1.6 fL (5.1-13.1). For the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, ROC analysis revealed 74% sensitivity and 75% specificity for a cut-off value of 7.95 fL of MPV, however, the diagnostic value of leukocyte count and/or neutrophil ratio was superior.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that, MPV value is an important parameter in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, but in terms of sensitivity and specificity, leukocyte count and/or neutrophil percentage is superior.
Key words: Acute appendicitis; mean platelet volume; sensitivity; specificity