The aim of this study was to present the usefulness of optic Selleck Cabozantinib nerve sheath ultrasonography in patients with brain death. Ten patients with brain death as a result of traumatic or non-traumatic causes were evaluated by ONUS. Optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) was measured with a 12 MHz linear ultrasound probe (Terason T3000, Teratech Corporation, USA). The probe was adjusted to give a suitable angle for displaying the entry of the optic nerve

into the globe, at the depth of 3 mm behind the globe (Fig. 1). For each optic nerve four measurements were made, twice in transversal and twice in the sagittal plane, by rotating the probe clockwise. Mean ONSD for brain death patients were compared with mean ONSD of 17 healthy controls (Fig. 2). Data are presented as means and SD. Intergroup comparison was performed by Student’s t-test. There were 10 patients (7 males) with confirmed brain death (5 due to neurotrauma, 2 due to subarachnoid hemorrhage, 2 as a result of ischemic stroke and one of parenchymal hemorrhage). Mean height was 163 ± 7 cm for females, and 179 ± 7 cm for males. Mean weight was 75 ± 13 kg in females and 86 ± 8 kg for males. Mean body mass index (BMI) was

26.7 ± 23.3. There was no difference of measurements of mean ONSD between left and right eye in brain death persons or between measurements of mean ONSD between left and right eye in controls (Table 1). There was no difference of measurements of mean ONSD either in Thiamet G left or right eye between measurement in transversal and PLX4032 cost sagittal plane in brain death persons or in between these two types of measurement of controls respectively (Table 1). Brain death persons have statistically significant wider mean ONSD measurements compared to measurements in controls with no overlapping of results (0.72 ± 0.05 vs 0.53 ± 0.06, p < 0.01) ( Table 1). Brain death is a condition of extreme increase of intracranial

pressure. Therefore we found statistically significant wider mean ONSD compared to controls. Up to now there was no report of ONSD in patients with brain death. Increased mean ONSD measurements were found in patients with increased ICP due to severe neurotrauma, or patients with spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracranial hematoma or stroke. These patients had a mean ONSD of 5.99 ± 0.4 mm [6] and 6.3 ± 0.6 mm [4]. At the same time healthy controls had a mean ONSD of 5.1 ± 0.7 mm [4]. In our group of patients the same disease were the one leading to brain incarceration and finally to brain death. In our group we found a mean ONSD of 0.72 ± 0.05 cm. There was no difference if the measurement was performed in longitudinal or sagittal plain. Such measurements showed even wider ONSD compared to previously published results of patients with increased ICP [4], [5] and [6]. At the same time, we found mean ONSD in controls 0.53 ± 0.05 cm, similar to previous published results of control subjects [4].