Procalcitonin-platelet ratio as a predictor of severity of necrotising enterocolitis in preterm infants.

A retrospective cohort study included preterm infants (<37 weeks of gestation, <2500 g) diagnosed with necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) admitted to Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit from January 2023 to December 2024. Forty-seven infants were analysed; procalcitonin (PCT) levels were significantly higher, and platelet (PLT) counts were significantly lower in the severe group compared with the mild-moderate group (p<0.05). The procalcitonin-to-platelet (PCT/PLT) ratio was notably elevated in severe NEC cases (p<0.05). Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.786 for PCT, 0.126 for PLT and 0.916 for the PCT/PLT ratio. The sensitivity and specificity of the PCT/PLT ratio are 0.862 and 0.833, respectively.