Levels of platelet distribution width (PDW) and mean platelet volume (MPV) were significantly higher in patients with pulmonary embolism, Dr. Jianqiang Huang and co-authors at the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Shantou Central Hospital in Guangdong Province, China, have reported.
A study of platelet indexes in 70 PE patients and 75 controls showed that PDW (16.40% vs. 16.00%) and MPV (9.91±1.40 fL vs. 8.84±1.68) values were significantly higher in those with PE, compared with controls. There were no significant differences in platelet count, the investigators reported.
The results indicate that measuring “MPV can increase the specificity and [positive predictive value] to improve the diagnostic value of D-dimer for PE,” the authors wrote. “Because platelet indexes are convenient to detect, clinical physicians may increase their vigilance to identify suspected PE,” they added.
Read the full article at the American Journal of Emergency Medicine: 10.1016/j.ajem.2015.02.043.