A recent study proposes that employing ocular ultrasound in the emergency room could swiftly and safely identify children with brain drainage tube failure.
Research presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2024 Meeting in Toronto.
A ventricular shunt, a small plastic tube surgically inserted to alleviate brain pressure by draining excess fluid, is commonly employed in children to address hydrocephalus. This condition stems from improper brain fluid drainage or absorption, often due to factors like tumours or brain bleeds. Specialists report that within two years post-implantation, approximately 30% of shunts experience malfunction, displacement, or blockage, with an additional 5% failure rate annually thereafter.
Researchers note that when patients visit the emergency department for potential shunt failure, symptoms are often nonspecific, such as headache, vomiting, and fatigue. Shunt failure poses a life-threatening risk, prompting children with shunts to undergo numerous computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans annually, leading to excessive radiation exposure and sedation. Swelling of the optic nerve sheath due to fluid backup can be measured by eye ultrasound, aiding in diagnosis.
The study found that comparing the diameter of the optic nerve when a patient is symptomatic to the diameter when they are well can help determine if a shunt is blocked.
