Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Feb;46(2):153-158.
doi: 10.1007/s00276-023-03281-x. Epub 2024 Jan 8.

Diameters of the optic sheath and superior ophthalmic vein can expand and contract at positional changes: a magnetic resonance imaging study

Satoshi Tsutsumi  1 , Satoru Kawai  2 , Natsuki Sugiyama  3 , Hideaki Ueno  3 , Michimasa Suzuki  4 , Hisato Ishii  3
Affiliations

Diameters of the optic sheath and superior ophthalmic vein can expand and contract at positional changes: a magnetic resonance imaging study

Satoshi Tsutsumi et al. Surg Radiol Anat. 2024 Feb.

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the diameters of the optic sheath (OSD) and superior ophthalmic vein (SOVD) in response to positional changes using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials and methods: Fifty adult outpatients who presented to the hospital underwent thin-slice coronal T2-weighted MRI in the supine position followed by the prone position.

Results: The OS and SOV were well delineated in all the patients. The OSD in the anterior orbit was measured in the supine and prone positions on both sides. In addition, the SOVD in the anterior and posterior orbits was measured in the supine and prone positions on both sides. The OSD demonstrated an increase on both sides in 100% of the cases. The SOVD demonstrated an increase on both sides in 94% of the cases, whereas the remaining 6% demonstrated a decrease. The OSD measured at the anterior orbit and the SOVD at the anterior and posterior orbits significantly increased on both sides with positional changes from the supine to the prone position.

Conclusion: OSD and SOVD may expand and contract in response to alterations in the intracranial pressure and venous flow patterns. MRI examination in the supine position combined with positional changes can help to better understand the OS and SOV as dynamic structures.

Keywords: Diameter; Magnetic resonance imaging; Optic sheath; Positional changes; Superior ophthalmic vein.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Liu D, Kahn M (1993) Measurement and relationship of subarachnoid pressure of the optic nerve to intracranial pressures in fresh cadavers. Am J Ophthalmol 116:548–556. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0002-9394(14)73195-2 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Das SK, Jindal S, Patil V, Sachin T (2022) Optic nerve sheath diameter and its implications in the evaluation of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. Pol J Radiol 87:e202–e206. https://doi.org/10.5114/pjr.2022.115706 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Ertekin T, Boyaci MG, Biller A, Yucel A, Ertekin A, Turamanlar O, Duman R (2022) Optic nerve sheath diameter measurement: a means of detecting increased intracranial pressure in pseudotumor cerebri patients. Folia Morphol (Warsz) 81:567–573. https://doi.org/10.5603/FM.a2021.0105 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Holmlund P, Støverud KH, Wåhlin A, Wiklund U, Malm J, Jóhannesson G, Eklund A (2021) Posture-dependent collapse of the optic nerve subarachnoid space: a combined MRI and modeling study. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 62:26. https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.62.4.26 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Takeuchi N, Horikoshi T, Kinouchi H, Watanabe A, Yagi T, Mitsuka K, Senbokuya N (2012) Diagnostic value of the optic nerve sheath subarachnoid space in patients with intracranial hypotension syndrome. J Neurosurg 117:372–377. https://doi.org/10.3171/2012.5.JNS1271 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources