The significance of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in differantial diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage


KARAKUŞ S., YILDIZ Ç., BOZOKLU AKKAR Ö., SANCAKDAR E., Ulger D., ÇETİN A.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE, cilt.9, sa.6, ss.11327-11333, 2016 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 9 Sayı: 6
  • Basım Tarihi: 2016
  • Dergi Adı: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.11327-11333
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio
  • Sivas Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the diagnostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in the differential diagnosis of patients with vaginal bleeding related to ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage. Study design. A retrospective analysis of case histories of patients with documented ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages diagnosed by a combination of clinical examination, transvaginal ultrasonography, and human chorionic gonadotropin assay. Normal pregnant women were used as controls. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was calculated in the patients and controls. Results: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was higher in patients with ectopic pregnancies than in patients with normal pregnancies or patients with miscarriages (P<0.05). Although the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with miscarriages was higher than that in patients with normal pregnancies, the difference was not statistically significant. For ectopic pregnancy, using 3.0 as a cutoff value, the sensitivity and specificity of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were 61%. For miscarriage, using 2.8 as a cutoff value, the sensitivity and specificity of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were 53%. Conclusions: In patients with vaginal bleeding related to ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage, an increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in the absence of infection may be used as an early diagnostic marker for ectopic pregnancy. Miscarriage did not result in a significant increase in the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. Further studies performed in patients grouped by gestational age and rupture status are needed to determine the diagnostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients suspected of an ectopic pregnancy.