CLINICAL VALUE OF NONINVASIVE ULTRASOUD INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE MEASUREMENT METHODS

Measurement of intracranial pressure (ICP) is clinically important in several neurological conditions such as traumatic brain injury, subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, malignant stroke, idiopathic intracranial hypertension and other. No noninvasive ICP measurement method is clinically approved. In this clinical study we aimed to determine a clinical value of non-invasive ultrasound methods for ICP measurement. In this study we’ve used a unique noninvasive ICP measurement method allowing the measurement of ICP in absolute units- mmHg. This method was invented by Lithuanian scientists. Being technologically new device it was used for the first time in this study. In this study we have analyzed variation of intracraniospinal blood volumetric pulse waves associated with of body posture. Measurements of noninvasive ICP absolute value, Gosling pulsatility index in middle cerebral arteries, ocular nerve sheath diameters and intima-media thickness in common carotid arteries were compared with CSF pressure (reflecting ICP) measurements obtained during lumbar puncture. Noninvasive ICP absolute value measurement method showed best diagnostic accuracy and precision among all noninvasive methods compared in the study. Measurements of Gosling pulsatility index, ocular nerve sheath diameter and intima-media thickness didn’t show sufficient diagnostic accuracy for clinical practice among the patients included