Does platelet activity play a role in the pathogenesis of idiopathic ischemic priapism?

Purpose: Mean platelet volume (MPV) is used to measure platelet size and is defined as a potential marker of platelet reactivity. Higher MPV levels have been defined as a risk factor for increased incidence of intravascular thrombosis and its associated diseases. We aimed to determine whether a relationship exists between the MPV and veno-occlusive component of idiopathic ischemic priapism (IIP). Materials and methods: Between 2010 and 2014, 38 subjects were analyzed in two groups. One was composed of 15 patients with diagnosis as IIP in our institute, and the other contained 23 healthy control subjects. Complete blood count reports were retrospectively evaluated in both groups. MPV, platelet count (PLT), platelet distribution width (PDW), white blood cells (WBC), red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), reticulocyte distribution width (RDW) were measured in both groups. Results: The mean ages were similar in IIP patients (45.86 +/- 15.82) and control subjects (47.65 +/- 10.99). The mean MPV values of IIP patients were significantly higher than control subjects (p<0.05). In contrast, also PLT counts were significantly lower in IIP patients, compared to control subjects (p<0.05). The mean hemoglobin and WBC values were significantly lower in control group (p<0.05). There was no significant difference of RBC, PDW and RDW values in both groups. Conclusions: We found that the MPV was significantly higher in IIP patients compared to control subjects. The high MPV levels may have contributed to the veno-occlusive etiopathogenesis of IIP disease. We strongly suggest further prospective studies to recommend the use of MPV in routine practice.