Diagnostic Role of Mean-Platelet Volume in Acute Pulmonary Embolism: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is the third most fatal cardiovascular disease. PE is frequently misdiagnosed due to its clinical presentation’s heterogeneity and the inexistence of biomarkers for its immediate diagnosis. Mean platelet volume (MPV) has shown a potential role as a biomarker in acute PE. In this analysis, we aimed to systematically compare the MPV in patients with and without definite diagnosis of PE, in emergency departments. METHODS: Embase, PubMed and Medline were searched for relevant publications, in English. The main inclusion criteria were studies which compared MPV in patients with acute PEA versus a control group. RESULTS: Thirteen studies consisting of a total number of 2428 participants were included. Of the participants included, 1316 were patients with confirmed acute PE, and 1112 were assigned to the control group. MPV was significantly higher in patients with acute PE than in controls (RR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.76 – 0.92; P < .00001). There was a significant heterogeneity in the data. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis showed higher MPV to be associated with acute PE immediate diagnosis. These data show promise for the use of MPV as a readily available biomarker for the diagnosis of acute PE at the emergency department.