Journal Article

Reproducibility and accuracy of optic nerve sheath diameter assessment using ultrasound compared to magnetic resonance imaging

Bäuerle, Jochen, Weigel, Matthias, Harloff, Andreas, Egger, Karl, Schuchardt, Florian, Schroeder, Laure

2013

Overview

Background Quantification of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) by transbulbar sonography is a promising non-invasive technique for the detection of altered intracranial pressure. In order to establish this method as follow-up tool in diseases with intracranial hyper- or hypotension scan-rescan reproducibility and accuracy need to be systematically investigated. Methods The right ONSD of 15 healthy volunteers (mean age 24.5 ± 0.8 years) were measured by both transbulbar sonography (9 – 3 MHz) and 3 Tesla MRI (half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin-echo sequences, HASTE) 3 and 5 mm behind papilla. All volunteers underwent repeated ultrasound and MRI examinations in order to assess scan-rescan reproducibility and accuracy. Moreover, inter- and intra-observer variabilities were calculated for both techniques. Results Scan-rescan reproducibility was robust for ONSD quantification by sonography and MRI at both depths (r > 0.75, p ≤ 0.001, mean differences < 2%). Comparing ultrasound- and MRI-derived ONSD values, we found acceptable agreement between both methods for measurements at a depth of 3 mm (r = 0.72, p = 0.002, mean difference < 5%). Further analyses revealed good inter- and intra-observer reliability for sonographic measurements 3 mm behind the papilla and for MRI at 3 and 5 mm (r > 0.82, p < 0.001, mean differences < 5%). Conclusions Sonographic ONSD quantification 3 mm behind the papilla can be performed with good reproducibility, measurement accuracy and observer agreement. Thus, our findings emphasize the feasibility of this technique as a non-invasive bedside tool for longitudinal ONSD measurements.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Accuracy / Acquisitions & mergers / Adult / Age / Health aspects / Healthy Volunteers / Humans / Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Myelin Sheath - diagnostic imaging / Neurochemistry / Neurocritical care / Neurology / Neurosurgery / NMR / Nuclear magnetic resonance / Observer Variation / Optic nerve / Optic Nerve - anatomy & histology / Optic Nerve - diagnostic imaging / Reproducibility of Results / Research Article / Retrospective Studies / Studies / Ultrasonic imaging / Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial / Ultrasound imaging / Volunteers / Young Adult