A Rapid Noninvasive Method of Detecting Elevated Intracranial Pressure Using Bedside Ocular Ultrasound: Application to 3 Cases of Head Trauma in the Pediatric Emergency Department : Pediatric Emergency Care

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A Rapid Noninvasive Method of Detecting Elevated Intracranial Pressure Using Bedside Ocular Ultrasound

Application to 3 Cases of Head Trauma in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Tsung, James W. MD*; Blaivas, Michael MD, RDMS; Cooper, Arthur MD, MS; Levick, Nadine R. MD, MPH*

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Pediatric Emergency Care 21(2):p 94-98, February 2005. | DOI: 10.1097/01.pec.0000159052.64930.64

Abstract

Managing pediatric head trauma with elevated intracranial pressure in the acute setting can be challenging. Bedside ocular ultrasound for measuring optic nerve sheath diameters has been recently proposed as a portable noninvasive method to rapidly detect increased intracranial pressure in emergency department patients with head trauma. Prior study data agree that the upper limit of normal optic nerve sheath diameters is 5.0 mm in adults, 4.5 mm in children aged 1 to 15, and 4.0 mm in infants up to 1 year of age. We report the application of this technique to 3 cases of head trauma in the pediatric emergency department.

© 2005 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.

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