Impact of Medical Evacuation From Mayotte to La Réunion on Intracranial Pressure in Pediatric Patients

Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) in pediatric patients is a critical condition that can lead to severe complications if not managed promptly. Hypertonic saline and mannitol are both commonly used to reduce ICP, yet their comparative effectiveness remains uncertain. Despite widespread use, existing studies show mixed results, with variations in treatment protocols and patient outcomes. This uncertainty underscores the need for a clearer understanding of the most effective treatment for pediatric ICP management. To compare the effectiveness of hypertonic saline and mannitol in the management of elevated intracranial pressure in pediatric patients. A systematic review and meta-analysis, based on the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis statements, was conducted (PROSPERO: CRD420251037689). A literature review was performed (sources: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases; end-of-search date: April 15, 2025), and quality assessment was performed using the ROB2 and NewCastle Ottawa Scale. A random-effects model was used to pool the data for the meta-analyses. A total of 631 patients from five studies were included in the mortality analysis, with 367 in the HTS group and 264 in the mannitol group. The risk of mortality was not significantly different between groups (RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.54, 1.52; p = 0.71), with moderate heterogeneity observed (I2 = 41%). Two studies assessing ICP change at 72h found no significant difference (mean difference: -3.79mmHg, p = 0.46). Similarly, no significant difference was found for CPP change (mean difference: 4.55mmHg, p = 0.36). Secondary outcomes, including ICU and hospital length of stay and mechanical ventilation duration, showed no significant differences between groups. This meta-analysis found no significant differences in mortality, ICP, or CPP changes between the HTS and mannitol groups. Secondary outcomes, including ICU and hospital length of stay and mechanical ventilation duration, also showed no notable differences. These findings suggest that both hypertonic saline and mannitol may be similarly effective for managing elevated ICP in pediatric patients.

The purpose of this study was to determine correlation and temporal association between automated pupillary measurements and intracranial pressure in pediatric patients with brain injury or encephalopathy requiring intracranial pressure monitoring. We hypothesized that abnormal pupillary measurements would precede increases in intracranial pressure. A prospective cohort study was performed. Automated pupillometry measurements were obtained at the same frequency as the patients' neurologic assessments with concurrent measurement of intracranial pressure, for up to 72 hours. Pupillary measurements and the Neurologic Pupil index, an algorithmic score that combines measures of pupillary reactivity, were assessed for correlation with concurrent and future intracranial pressure measurements. Single-center pediatric quaternary ICU, from July 2017 to October 2018. Pediatric patients 18 years or younger with a diagnosis of acute brain injury or encephalopathy requiring an intracranial pressure monitor. None. Twenty-eight patients were analyzed with a total of 1,171 intracranial pressure measurements. When intracranial pressure was elevated, the Neurologic Pupil index, percent change in pupillary size, constriction velocity, and dilation velocity were significantly lower than when intracranial pressure was within normal range (p < 0.001 for all). There were mild to moderate negative correlations between concurrent intracranial pressure and pupillary measurements. However, there was an inconsistent pattern of abnormal pupillary measurements preceding increases in intracranial pressure; some patients had a negative association, while others had a positive relationship or no relationship between Neurologic Pupil index and intracranial pressure. Our data indicate automated assessments of pupillary reactivity inversely correlate with intracranial pressure, demonstrating that pupillary reactivity decreases as intracranial pressure increases. However, a temporal association in which abnormal pupillary measurements precede increases in intracranial pressure was not consistently observed. This work contributes to limited data available regarding automated pupillometry in neurocritically ill patients, and the even more restricted subset available in pediatrics.

Background and objectives:No previous studies have investigated the relationship between the optic nerve sheath diameter and raised intracranial pressure in pediatric patients or have evaluated the usefulness of optic nerve sheath diameter in ocular ultrasound and brain computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging. This study aimed to meta‐analyze the diagnostic performance of optic nerve sheath diameter for the diagnosis of raised intracranial pressure in pediatric patients.Methods:A database search of PubMed and EMBASE was performed to identify relevant studies. Bivariate modeling and hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristics modeling were performed to evaluate diagnostic performance. A pooled diagnostic odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval, not including 1, was considered informative. Subgroup analysis was performed according to the modality (ocular ultrasound vs brain computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging). We performed meta‐regression analyses for heterogeneity exploration.Results:Eleven studies involving 546 patients were included. According to pooled diagnostic odds ratios, optic nerve sheath diameter was informative for the evaluation of raised intracranial pressure (diagnostic odds ratio, 47; 95% confidence interval, 11–206). Optic nerve sheath diameter showed a pooled sensitivity of 0.88 (95% confidence interval, 0.79–0.94), a pooled specificity of 0.86 (95% confidence interval, 0.70–0.95), and an area under the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.93 (95% confidence interval, 0.91–0.95) for the diagnosis of raised intracranial pressure. According to the subgroup analysis, ocular ultrasound (sensitivity, 0.91 (95% confidence interval, 0.81–0.96); specificity, 0.86 (95% confidence interval, 0.65–0.96)) showed higher sensitivity and comparable specificity than optic nerve sheath diameter measured on brain computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (sensitivity, 0.75 (95% confidence interval, 0.51–0.99); specificity, 0.91 (95% confidence interval, 0.74–1.00)). On meta‐regression analysis, the study design, number of patients, and reference standard were the sources of heterogeneity.Conclusion:Optic nerve sheath diameter may be a useful method for predicting raised intracranial pressure in pediatric patients. We recommend that the measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter should be performed using ocular ultrasound for a more accurate diagnosis of raised intracranial pressure in pediatric patients.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter Using Ultrasonography for Raised Intracranial Pressure in Pediatric Patients - A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Craniosynostosis may lead to elevated intracranial pressure, which may be implicated with impaired neurocognitive development. However, accurately measuring intracranial pressure is challenging, and patterns in craniosynostosis patients are poorly characterized. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography may enable noninvasive assessment of intracranial pressure in pediatric patients with craniosynostosis. Pediatric patients with craniosynostosis undergoing surgical intervention between 2014 and 2019 prospectively underwent optical coherence tomographic evaluation. Intracranial pressure was directly measured intraoperatively in a subset of cases. Optical coherence tomographic parameters were compared to directly measured intracranial pressure and used for pattern assessment. Optical coherence tomography was performed in 158 subjects, among which 42 underwent direct intracranial pressure measurement during an initial cranial procedure. Maximal retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, maximal retinal thickness, and maximal anterior projection optical coherence tomographic parameters were positively correlated with intracranial pressure (p ≤ 0.001), with all parameters showing significantly higher values in patients with intracranial pressure thresholds of 15 mmHg (p < 0.001) and 20 mmHg (p ≤ 0.007). Patients with maximal retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and maximal anterior projection exceeding set thresholds in optical coherence tomography of either eye demonstrated 77.3 percent sensitivity and 95.0 percent specificity for detecting intracranial pressure above 15 mmHg, and 90.0 percent sensitivity and 81.3 percent specificity for detecting intracranial pressure above 20 mmHg. Patients with associated syndromes or multiple suture involvement and patients aged 9 months or older were significantly more likely to have elevated intracranial pressure above 15 mmHg (p ≤ 0.030) and above 20 mmHg (p ≤ 0.035). Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography can noninvasively detect elevated intracranial pressure in patients with craniosynostosis with reliable sensitivity and specificity. This technology may help guide decisions about the appropriate type and timing of surgical treatment. Diagnostic, I.

BackgroundHeadache is one of the most common complaints among pediatric patients and can be due to many causes, some benign but others potentially seriously. Increased intracranial pressure, which is known to cause papilledema, is a serious cause of headache, and immediate diagnosis is critical, although difficult. The current study evaluates the diagnostic value of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) and eyeball transverse diameter (ETD) ratio in pediatric patients presenting with headache and papilledema.MethodsA retrospective analysis of all pediatric patients undergoing head computed tomography scans between January 2013 and December 2015. Patients with normal brain scans were included in the study. Patients presenting with headache underwent funduscopic evaluation and grouped as either headache with papilledema or headache without papilledema. A control group of patients without headache was also included. Studies were reviewed blindly by a neuroradiologist and ONSD and ETD for both eyes were measured.ResultsONSD/ETD index was found to have significantly higher values (p<0.001) in patients with papilledema (median 0.24, interquartile range (IQR) = 0.22–0.25) compared to patients without papilledema (median 0.18, IQR = 0.16–0.19) and the control group (median 0.17, IQR = 0.15–0.18). The ONSD/ETD index showed excellent discrimination ability for patients with headache and papilledema (AUC = 0.96, 95% CI, 0.94–0.99). The ONSD/ETD index of 0.21 was found to have a sensitivity and specificity of 82% and 93%, respectively, for identifying pediatric patients with headache and papilledema.ConclusionOur study shows that ONSD/ETD index of 0.21 can be used as an easy-to-use reference tool for diagnosing papilledema and elevated intracranial pressure in pediatric patients.

BackgroundThe optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) on ocular ultrasonography has recently emerged as a reliable and useful indirect tool for measuring raised intracranial pressure (ICP). However, findings of previous studies have been inconsistent or inconclusive, and not many studies have evaluated its utility in the pediatric population undergoing neurosurgical interventions. This observational study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ultrasonographic ONSD as a point-of-care tool for predicting real-time ICP in children with hydrocephalus undergoing shunt surgery.MethodologyThis study included 52 children aged 2 months to 10 years with hydrocephalus undergoing ventriculoperitoneal shunt under general anesthesia. Ultrasonographic ONSD for each eye and invasive ICP were measured before surgery (after induction) and after surgery (before extubation). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).ResultsPreoperatively, the mean ONSD in the right and left eyes was 5.75 ± 1.6 mm and 5.68 ± 1.35 mm, respectively, which reduced significantly to 4.3 ± 0.89 mm and 4.48 ± 0.79 mm, respectively, postoperatively. The correlation between ONSD and raised ICP was significantly positive (p < 0.001, r = 0.879). Analysis of the receiver operating characteristic curve revealed that a cutoff ONSD value of 5.5 mm predicted an ICP ≥20 mmHg with a specificity of 75%, sensitivity of 100%, and a positive predictive value of 95%. These results confirm that elevated ONSD is suggestive of raised ICP.ConclusionsUltrasonographic ONSD is a useful non-invasive point-of-care tool for the assessment and monitoring of children with hydrocephalus suspected of having raised ICP.

Background: Pineal region tumors are a heterogenous group of pathologies often symptomatic due to occlusive hydrocephalus leading to elevated intracranial pressure (ICP). High ICP may not always be associated with clinical signs. A non-invasive technique for assessment of ICP is measuring the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD). The goal of this study was to determine the utility of preoperative and postoperative ONSD measurements for assessment of elevated ICP in children with pineal region tumors. Methods: Retrospective data analysis was performed in patients operated for pineal region tumors at our tertiary care center between 2003 and 2022. Preoperative and postoperative MRI scans were reviewed. Clinical data and ONSD at multiple time points were analyzed and correlated. Results: Thirty-four patients with forty operative cases met the inclusion criteria. Hydrocephalus was seen in 80% of patients preoperatively (n=32/40). Presence of hydrocephalus was associated with significantly elevated ONSD preoperatively (p=0.006) and postoperatively (p=0.017). There was significant decrease in ONSD immediately postoperatively (p&lt;0.001), at 3 months (p&lt;0.001) and 12 months (p&lt;0.001). In patients without hydrocephalus, no significant changes in ONSD were observed (p=0.369). Conclusions: ONSD is a useful adjunct for the identification of high ICP preoperatively and evaluation of treatment response postoperatively in patients presenting with pineal region tumors.

Point-of-care ultrasound has been widely used by clinicians at the bedside in recent years. Various types of point-of-care ultrasound practices are employed, especially in pediatric emergency rooms and intensive care units. Pediatric intensive care specialists perform point-of-care ultrasound virtually as a part of physical examination since it provides just-in-time vital clinical information, which could assist in acute management strategies in critically ill patients. Measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter using point-of-care ultrasound is a noninvasive and radiation-free technique to determine raised intracranial pressure. Ophthalmic artery and central retinal artery Doppler indices can be used as transcranial Doppler to assess raised intracranial pressure. The aim of this review was to provide detailed information on ultrasonographic measurements of optic nerve sheath diameter and central retinal artery Doppler indices as techniques of interest for predicting increased intracranial pressure in pediatric patients in view of the literature.

Intracranial pressure in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

89 Effect of Ketamine on Intracranial Pressure in Pediatric Patients Assessed by Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound: A Pilot Study

IIH is a disorder associated with increased intracranial pressure with no clinical, laboratory, or radiologic evidence of an intracranial space-occupying lesion. The aim of this study was to establish ONSD standards of healthy pediatric subjects and compare the normal measurements with those of patients with IIH. One hundred fifteen MR imaging studies of children 4 months to 17 years of age were blinded and reviewed by a pediatric neuroradiologist. A total of 230 optic nerves were measured. Eighty-six MR imaging examinations were performed in apparently healthy subjects. This control group included subjects who underwent MR imaging for various reasons, and their MR imaging findings were interpreted as normal. Twenty-nine MR imaging examinations were performed in patients with documented IIH. The ONSD was measured 1 cm anterior to the optic foramina on an axial T2 sequence. For statistical analysis, both patients and controls were stratified into 4 age groups (I, 0-3 years; II, 3-6 years; III, 6-12 years; IV, 12-18 years). The mean ONSD of the control group in all age groups (I, 3.1 mm; II, 3.41 mm; III, 3.55 mm; IV, 3.56 mm) was significantly smaller than the mean ONSD of patients (I, 4.35 mm; II, 4.37 mm; III, 4.25 mm; IV, 4.69 mm). A positive correlation between age and ONSD (r = 0.414, P < .01) was found in the control group. According to our study, in pediatric patients with IIH, the ONSD is significantly larger than that in healthy controls regardless of age group and sex. This measurement might prove to be an auxiliary tool in the diagnosis of increased intracranial pressure in pediatric patients.

Is Hypertonic Saline an Effective Alternative to Mannitol in the Treatment of Elevated Intracranial Pressure in Pediatric Patients?

Objective: External hydrocephalus, introduced by Dandy and Blackfan in 1914 [Am J Dis Child 1914;8:406–482], is used to describe the clinical condition of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulation in the subarachnoid space with its space expansion and increased intracranial pressure in pediatric patients. Benign subdural effusion, subdural hygroma and pseudohydrocephalus are some terms used to describe some conditions, not clearly defined at the moment as separate pathological entities. We report 3 pediatric cases which had CSF collections after craniotomy. Neuroimaging investigations revealed CSF collection after surgery. All 3 cases had a poor clinical course with resolution after shunting. This report analyzes the mechanisms and pathophysiology of postoperative extra-axial CSF collections (PECC), indicating that CSF accumulations in the extra-axial spaces (inside or outside the arachnoid) after surgery have a common pathophysiology. Therefore, the treatment protocol can be specific. Patients: Three pediatric cases, aged from 11 months to 6 years, had large tumors located from their suprasellar region to the hypothalamus and third ventricle. The tumors were excised surgically through either an anterior interhemispheric translamina-terminalis or a transsylvian translamina-terminalis approach or both. The surgery conducted created a wide opening of the anterior interhemispheric or the sylvian fissures, dissecting the lamina terminalis and Liliequist’s membrane resulting in a new artificial CSF tract from the basal cisterns to the subdural space. Clinical symptoms such as deterioration of consciousness level developed within a few weeks after surgery, and a follow-up computed tomography image confirmed subdural CSF collection. Symptoms improved after ventriculoperitoneal (V-P) shunting. Discussion: External hydrocephalus, subdural effusion and the other entities mentioned above are frequently observed in children, and little is known about their pathophysiology. To differentiate from the whole entity of CSF accumulation within the subdural and subarachnoid space, we use the term PECC to specify the main pathophysiological condition resulting from a wide dissection and opening of the arachnoid membrane and communication with the basal cisterns. Conclusion: We present the occurrence of CSF collections in the extra-axial space after surgery as the specific condition of PECC. Broadly dissecting the arachnoid membrane, with a communication remaining with the ventricles, is the main factor contributing to PECC, and patients have shown that V-P shunting is an effective procedure preventing progression and effectively treating PECC.

To compare "central venous pressure" in pediatric patients in a clinical setting as measured from catheters in the infrahepatic inferior vena cava and the right atrium. Prospective, unblinded study. Cardiothoracic intensive care unit of a tertiary care university hospital. Thirty-three pediatric cardiac surgical patients, 2 days to 92 months of age (mean 24 +/- 4 months). All patients had intraoperative placement of an 8-cm, double-lumen, femoral venous catheter and a transthoracic right atrial catheter. Patients were studied for 0 to 2 days after surgery. Measurements were obtained during mechanical and spontaneous ventilation. Although not statistically identical, measurements of "central" venous pressure in the inferior vena cava and right atrium correlated well (r2 = .87 for mechanical ventilation; r2 = .83 for spontaneous ventilation). Of 31 data pairs in mechanically ventilated patients, the absolute difference in pressures was as large as 3 mm Hg in three patients and <3 mm Hg in all the rest. In 15 spontaneously breathing patients, there were only three data measurements where the difference in pressure was 2 mm Hg and none of the differences was greater. In spontaneously breathing patients, the phasic changes due to respiratory variations in venous pressure were in phase in both the intrathoracic and intra-abdominal catheter positions. We conclude that while "central" venous pressures measured in the inferior vena cava and in the right atrium are not statistically identical, any differences are well within clinically important limits. Placement of central venous pressure catheters in the inferior vena cava by the femoral venous approach is a reliable alternative to cannulating the superior vena cava in pediatric patients without clinically important intra-abdominal pathology and with anatomic continuity of the inferior vena cava with the right atrium. Relatively short femoral vein catheters allow adequate measurement of central venous pressure without concern for exact catheter tip position and without the risk of right atrial perforation, intracardiac arrhythmias, and inadvertent puncture of carotid and intrathoracic structures. Unlike previously reported results in neonates, we found that the phasic changes of venous pressure with the respiratory cycle were similar in both intrathoracic and intra-abdominal recordings, making this an inappropriate clinical indicator of venous catheter tip position.