Optic nerve sheath diameter, mean flow rate, pulsatility index and preeclampsia

Abstract

Background. Ultrasound has led to non-invasive neuromonitoring for surveillance and decision-making of aspects affecting the central nervous system. The aim was to determine the correlation between mean blood pressure and bilateral optic nerve sheath diameter, pulsatility index and mean flow rate of the middle cerebral artery in cases of preeclampsia/eclampsia. Methods. It was a prospective cohort study, including pregnant women diagnosed with preeclampsia/eclampsia who received medical attention in an Intensive Care Unit. The registered ultrasonographic measurements (optic nerve sheath diameter, pulsatility index and mean fl ow rate) were correlated against mean blood pressure at admission and after 24 and 72 hours. The recorded data were entered in an Excel sheet with subsequent use of the Social Science Statistics online web page. Results. The correlation analysis indicated that at admission, mean blood pressure had a significant negative correlation with mean flow rate (right: R2 = -0.52547, p = 0.04426 and left: R2 = -0.63628, p = 0.01077). In relation to optic nerve sheath diameter, the only positive and signifi cant correlation was the one observed with mean blood pressure after 24 hours following admission (R2 = 0.56980, p = 02659). Conclusion. Mean fl ow rate measurements give more consistent and useful information than optic nerve sheath diameter in the hemodynamic evaluation of the preeclamptic women in the first 24 hours.