Role of mean platelet volume as discriminating guide for bone marrow disease in patients with thrombocytopenia.

Recently, platelet indices have been evaluated to determine their utility in knowing the mechanism of thrombocytopenia. This study was conducted to analyze the role of mean platelet volume (MPV) as a guide or an indicator for bone marrow disease in thrombocytopenic patients. All the patients with thrombocytopenia for various causes followed by bone marrow examination were divided into two groups, one group with and another without bone marrow disease, depending on pathophysiology. The MPV was statistically analyzed in both the groups to assess its role as guide for bone marrow disease in these patients. Mean MPV (average score of all individual mean values in patients) in the group with bone marrow disease was 7.3 fl, while in the group without bone marrow disease, it was 8.62 fl. Although the difference in MPV in the two groups of with (including megaloblastic anemia) and without bone marrow involvement was statistically significant (P value <0.001), its sensitivity and specificity scores as observed by receptor operating characteristic (ROC) curve at cut-off of <8.15 fl were not highly sufficient (67.7% sensitive and 65% specific). The study concluded that although MPV can be used as an initial hint for bone marrow disease in thrombocytopenic patients, it has limited sensitivity and specificity. The differentiation of megaloblastic anemia from other causes of pancytopenia involving the marrow requires bone marrow examination rather than using MPV as an indicator. Bone marrow examination remains the gold standard for discriminating hypoproductive type of thrombocytopenia from the hyperdestructive one. In addition, the role of other platelet indices should also be assessed further to know a better indicator for bone marrow involvement in thrombocytopenic patients.