Optic nerve: measure the diameter of its sheath to detect intracranial hypertension

Abstract Objective: This work had the objective of reviewing the literature on the evaluation and detection of intracranial hypertension through optical nerve ultrasound. Method: literature review based on a bibliographic survey in the electronic databases: PubMed, LILACS, SCIELO and CINAHL, using the following descriptors: Intracranial Hypertension.Optic Nerve. Ultrasonography, its correspondents in Portuguese and their intersections. We selected 27 articles published in the period of 1998-2017. Results: the articles indicated that ultrasonography of the diameter of the optic nerve sheath (ONSD) is useful in the detection of intracranial hypertension. Conclusion: The increase in ONSD is a highly accurate change to diagnose increased intracranial pressure in critically ill patients.