Automated 3-D intraocular ultrasound detection of elevated intracranial pressure

Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) is often associated with traumatic brain injury and can cause substantial complications. Elevated ICP also causes dilation of the optic nerve sheath, which can be observed and quantitated using intraocular ultrasound. We report on the use of 3-D ultrasound and automated processing algorithms to reduce operator variability in the assessment of sheath diameter. Using data from three subjects, we show that our approach appears to reduce operator variability by approximately 25%. These encouraging preliminary results support the development of an intraocular ultrasound system for non-invasive detection of elevated ICP.