Evaluation of the relationship between platelet indices and spontaneous echo contrast in patients with mitral prosthetic heart valves

Objective: Spontaneous echo contrast (SEC) is defined as dynamic, smoke-like echoes within the cardiac cavities with a characteristic swirling motion seen on echocardiography. Clinical studies have demonstrated that SEC is a risk factor for left atrial thrombus formation and an important indicator for potential systemic embolism. Platelet indices have been associated with the presence of SEC in patients with mitral stenosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between platelet indices and SEC in patients with prosthetic heart valves. Methods: A total of 89 patients [female: 38 (42.4%); median age: 52 years (range: 36-67 years)] with SEC formation in the left atrium, and 257 control subjects [female: 123 (47.5%); median age: 56 years (range: 45-65 years)] without SEC formation were enrolled. All of the patients were evaluated by using transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography. Laboratory tests including complete blood count and biochemical parameters were analyzed. Results: Patients with SEC formation had more frequent atrial fibrillation, higher left atrial diameter (LAD) and lower left ventriular ejection fraction values. Platelet indices including platelet count, platelet distribution width, mean platelet volume, and plateletcrit did not differ between the groups. Increased LAD was detected as the only independent predictor of SEC development. Conclusion: Platelet indices were not found to be associated with the presence of SEC formation in the left atrium among patients with mitral prosthetic valves. Therefore, the use of platelet indices alongside known echocardiographic and clinical risk factors to predict SEC development in patients with a mitral prosthesis is debatable.