AIM: To analyze preoperative inflammatory markers including neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet counts and neutrophil to lymphocyte (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte (PLR) ratios in a group of patients with different brain pathologies and healthy controls.

MATERIAL and METHODS: Above mentioned preoperative inflammatory markers were analyzed in a total of 140 patients included 39 with temporal lobe epilepsy, 37 with glioblastoma multiforme, 32 with grade-I meningioma and 32 with intracranial metastasis. Healthy controls included 30 subjects. The levels were compared between each patient group and between patients and controls.

RESULTS: Significant higher neutrophil, platelet counts, NLR and PLR were found in glioma, meningioma and metastasis patients compared to epilepsy (p<0.05). On the other hand lymphocyte counts were significantly lower than epilepsy (p<0.05). PLR>120.78 was suggestive of metastasis rather than GBM.

CONCLUSION: Preoperative inflammatory markers increase in different brain pathologies and metastasis show striking changes. PLR can have diagnostic value in differentiating metastasis from GBM.