Diagnostic Utility of Cerebrospinal Fluid Procalcitonin in Neonatal Meningitis

We aimed to study the diagnostic utility of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) procalcitonin (PCT) in neonates with meningitis. All the neonates with sepsis who qualified for lumbar puncture were prospectively evaluated. The neonates were classified into Meningitis and No meningitis group based on predefined criteria. CSF PCT was estimated in these neonates along with cytological and biochemical parameters. A total of 113 neonates were included in the study with 29 in the meningitis group and 84 in the no meningitis group. The median PCT levels were higher in babies with meningitis as compared to those without meningitis [0.194 (0.034-0.534) in meningitis group vs. 0.012 (0.012-0.012) ng/ml in no meningitis group, p < 0.001]. The area under curve for CSF PCT was 0.867 (0.77-0.95) and at a cut-off level of 0.120 ng/ml CSF PCT had a sensitivity of 83%, specificity of 84% and positive and negative predictive likelihood ratios of 5.35 and 0.20, respectively for the diagnosis of meningitis. CSF PCT has a good diagnostic accuracy similar to other parameters in the diagnosis of neonatal meningitis and can be considered as an additional diagnostic marker particularly when CSF culture is negative and cytochemical analysis is inconclusive.