Article Text
Abstract
Background/Aims Papilloedema is an important sign of serious neurological disease, but it can be difficult to detect on funduscopy. The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) for detecting papilloedema in children.
Methods This was a prospective observational study at a tertiary care paediatric hospital. Patients were eligible for the study if they underwent a lumbar puncture with opening pressure and had high-quality POCUS and OCT imaging.
Results A total of 63 eyes from 32 patients were included in the study, 41 (65%) with papilloedema and 22 (35%) without. There were statistically significant differences between the groups in the optic disc elevation (ODE) (p<0.001) and optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) (p<0.001) on POCUS, and in the average retinal nerve fibre layer (rNFL) thickness on OCT (p<0.001). Average rNFL thickness had the highest diagnostic accuracy with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.999 and a 100% sensitivity and 95% specificity for papilloedema (threshold value of ≥108 µm). ODE had an AUC of 0.866 and a 93% sensitivity and 55% specificity (threshold value of ≥0.5 mm). ONSD had an AUC of 0.786 and a 93% sensitivity and 45% specificity (threshold value of ≥5.5 mm).
Conclusion Both OCT and POCUS are potentially useful tools to help diagnose papilloedema in children. Larger studies are needed to further define the role and accuracy of POCUS and OCT in assessing papilloedema in children.
- Child health (paediatrics)
- Intracranial Hypertension
- Prospective Studies
Data availability statement
Data are available upon reasonable request. Data available upon request.
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Data availability statement
Data are available upon reasonable request. Data available upon request.
Footnotes
Contributors HC, NA-F: concepulatisation, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the work, final approval of version to be published, agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. AMFW: concepulatisation, interpretation of the data, drafting the work, final approval of version to be published, agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. AD, MOT: acquisition and analysis of data, drafting the work, final approval of version to be published, agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. MJW: concepulatisation, acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the work and revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of version to be published, agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. MJW takes responsibility for the overall content as guarantor. MJW accepts full responsibility for the finished work and conduct of the study, had access to the data, and controlled the decision to publish.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.