title: Increased mean platelet volume in cervicocephalic artery dissections.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to investigate the role of platelets in the pathogenesis of cervicocephalic artery dissections by measuring the mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet count.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-four patients with evidence of cervicocephalic artery dissection were included in the study. Cervicocephalic artery dissection patients were divided into two subgroups as vertebral artery dissections and carotid artery dissections. There were 30 control subjects with similar baseline characteristics. The platelet count and MPV were compared between groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis showed a significant difference between the MPV values of the cervicocephalic artery dissection group and the control group (p < 0.05). However, when we compared subgroups with controls, we found a significantly higher MPV values only in the vertebral artery dissection group. We did not find any significant difference for total platelet count between the cervicocephalic artery dissection groups and controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MPV is a marker of platelet function and activation. Increased MPV may be a result of dissection. In addition, it may be a risk factor for dissection-related stroke. Our study supports the notion that platelet reactivity is important in the pathogenesis of the cervicocephalic artery dissections, especially in vertebral artery dissections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Inonu University Turgut Ozal Medical Center, Malatya, Turkey. okamisli@yahoo.com
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kamisli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kamisli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gonullu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ozcan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000502:physiology; D001810:Blood Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D020215:Carotid Artery, Internal, Dissection / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010976:Platelet Count / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020217:Vertebral Artery Dissection / Q000503:physiopathology*