RESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: This study is aimed to evaluate the role of maternal mean platelet volume (MPV) levels for antenatal prediction marker of early onset neonatal sepsis in term infants born to mothers who have low infection risk. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 62 pregnant women who gave birth in our hospital and whose neonates were admitted to a third level Neonatal Intensive Care Unit due to confirmed neonatal sepsis between January 2010 and May 2016 were selected as a study group. Within the same period, 68 women who gave birth to healthy neonates were enrolled as a control group. We compared maternal MPV values which were evaluated before delivery. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to evaluate the values maternal MPV in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. RESULTS: MPV levels were detected statistically higher in the study group than the control group (8.27 ± 1.85 vs. 8.98 ± 1.16) (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The maternal serum MPV level is a clinically useful, non-invasive and reliable marker in antenatal prediction of EOS.