Mean platelet volume in patients with retinal artery occlusion

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the mean platelet volume (MPV) of patients with retinal artery occlusion (RAO). Methods: Thirty-seven patients diagnosed with RAO and 32 control subjects were included in this retrospective study. Retinal artery occlusion was diagnosed on the basis of clinical examination and fundus fluorescein angiography. All participants underwent complete ocular examination, and MPV, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and platelet counts were recorded. RAO patient data were compared with those of the control subjects. Results: Patients with RAO had significantly higher MPV values (7.96 +/- 1.2 fL) com-pared with control subjects (7.33 +/- 0.7 fL, p<0.001). No significant difference was found with regard to platelet count between the RAO group and the control group (262 +/- 70.1 x 10(9)/L and 251 +/- 56.6 x 10(9)/L, respectively, p=0.50). MPV was an independent predictor of RAO [odds ratio (OR)=0.50; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.28-0.89; p=0.019). Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that MPV values were significantly higher in patients with RAO, suggesting that larger platelets may contribute to the pathogenesis of the RAOs.