During the study, experts studied the sheath of the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain. By measuring the thickness of the shell, carried out using ultrasound, it is possible to determine the risk of death of a patient after a stroke. This is the conclusion of a team of researchers from the University of Florida in Gainesville. Experts explained how the thickness of the optic nerve sheath can indicate the presence of increased intracranial pressure.
"An ultrasound of the optic nerve can be used to check the brain for swelling, which sometimes occurs after a major stroke. The presence of such swelling can be determined by looking at the diameter of the nerve behind the eye using ultrasound. In the case of swelling of the brain, the pressure is transmitted to the eyes," study author Dr. Vishnumurthy Hedna explained.
Dr. Hedn's team conducted a study of 86 stroke survivors who were suspected to have increased intracranial pressure. All patients underwent an ultrasound examination of the optic nerve sheath.
The thickness of the optic nerve sheath in patients who died within six months of a stroke was about 5.8 millimeters. In surviving patients, this sheath diameter was approximately 5.3 millimeters.
In patients who died after a hemorrhagic stroke, the diameter of the sheath of the optic nerve was about 6.2 mm, in those who survived after such a stroke – 5.7 mm.
These data led the researchers to conclude that an increase in the diameter of the optic nerve sheath indicates an increased risk of death after a stroke.
Also, an increase in the diameter of the optic nerve sheath is associated with the risk of disability within six months after a stroke.
Today, intracranial pressure is measured by lumbar puncture or directly in the ventricles of the brain. An optic nerve ultrasound is a simpler and safer procedure for measuring intracranial pressure.
Source estet-portal.com
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