title: Platelet size has diagnostic predictive value in patients with thrombocytopenia.
abstract: We studied 473 unselected patients with thrombocytopenia. The mean platelet volume (MPV) was 8.1 fl in patients with marrow disease and 9.8 fl in patients without marrow disease (P < 0.001). A total of 5% of patients with an MPV >or=10.5 fl have marrow disease (odds ratio 0.05, 95% CI 0.02-0.13). Conversely over three quarters of patients with an MPV of <8.0 fl have marrow disease (odds ratio 8.1, 95% CI 5.0-13.0). Therefore the MPV can strongly guide the clinician as to the likely presence or absence of bone marrow disease in thrombocytopenic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Addenbrooke's NHS Trust, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Bowles
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Cooke
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Baglin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000473:pathology*; D001855:Bone Marrow Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D048429:Cell Size; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*