Mean platelet volume in diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children.

BACKGROUND The clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis (AA) in children is still problematic in status. OBJECTIVES To investigate the diagnostic value of mean platelet volume (MPV) in acute AA at childhood. METHODS One hundred patients diagnosed as AA patients and 100 healthy individuals. Laboratory tests were studied in the hematology laboratory of the hospital. RESULTS The MPV was found to be lower than normal in 48 cases in the AA group, and it was normal or higher than normal in 52 cases. In the control group, while MPV was found to be lower than normal in 13 cases, it was normal or higher than normal in 87 cases. The MPV was significantly lower in the AA group compared to the control group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION Our study indicated that MPV significantly decreased in pediatric AA patients. Hence, we believe that taking the MPV decrease into consideration along with the White Blood Cell Count elevation would be beneficial in patients with suspicion of AA.