Use of Ultrasound-Measured Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter in the Emergency Department to Differentiate Hypertensive Emergency and Urgency

English (OpenAlex)

Objectives: Hypertensive patients may present with varying degrees of clinical severity and target organ damage (TOD). Bedside ultrasound measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) is a rapid and non-invasive bedside imaging method increasingly used in emergency settings. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the association between baseline ONSD and clinical severity in hypertensive patients presenting to the emergency department (ED).Methods: This prospective, single-center, observational study included adult patients presenting to the ED with hypertension and suspected acute TOD, consistent with hypertensive emergency (HE). Demographic and clinical data, blood pressure measurements, and pre- and post-treatment ONSD values were recorded. The associations between ONSD, TOD, treatment response, and hospitalization were analyzed, and the discriminative ability of ONSD for clinical outcomes was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.Results: A total of 113 hypertensive patients were included in the study. ONSD values were significantly higher in patients with TOD compared to those without (4.88±0.76 mm vs. 4.45±0.46 mm, p=0.007). A significant decrease in ONSD values was observed after antihypertensive treatment (p