Sonography of the optic nerve sheath beyond the hyperacute stage of intracerebral hemorrhage.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility and utility of serial measuring of the optic nerve sheath diameter beyond the hyperacute and acute stage of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). METHODS: Four patients with extensive ICH in the left basal ganglia were followed using ultrasound (US) and cerebral CT scans. RESULTS: Optic nerve sheath diameter values assessed beyond the acute stage of ICH showed a high correlation (ρ = 0.84, p = 0.0022) with midline shift of the third ventricle seen on CT scans. CONCLUSIONS: Optic nerve sonography can be useful to evaluate patients with extensive ICH beyond the acute stage and help monitoring clinical evolution in these patients, when ICP monitoring is not feasible.