The Significance of Ultrasonographic Measurement of Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter in Assessing Cerebral Edema and Intracranial Hypertension in Neurocritical Care Patients

Cerebral edema and intracranial hypertension are among the life-threatening complications in critically ill neurological patients, and their timely detection and dynamic monitoring are of particular importance in neurocritical care. In cases where invasive intracranial pressure monitoring is unavailable or technically infeasible, the use of non-invasive methods becomes especially important. Ultrasonographic measurement of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) is considered a bedside method that allows indirect assessment of increased intracranial pressure. In this study, the optic nerve sheath diameter was assessed using ultrasonography in 50 patients treated in the neurocritical care unit, and the obtained findings were compared with brain computed tomography (CT) data. The study included patients aged 35–70 years. Of the 50 patients, 33 (66%) were male and 17 (34%) were female. The obtained clinical and instrumental data indicate that ultrasonographic assessment of the optic nerve sheath diameter may be useful for rapid bedside screening and dynamic monitoring of patients with suspected cerebral edema and intracranial hypertension, as well as a complementary method to CT examination.