It Is in the Eye of the Beholder: Ocular Ultrasound Enhanced Monitoring of Neurotoxicity after CAR-T Cell Therapy

Hematol Rep. 2022 Dec 29;15(1):1-8. doi: 10.3390/hematolrep15010001.

Abstract

Usually used in emergency settings, bedside sonographic measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter can aid in diagnosing elevated intracranial pressure. We report a case of a 26-year-old male hospitalized for CAR T-cell therapy with Axicabtagene Ciloleucel for treatment of relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, who developed progressive symptoms of immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome. Fundoscopic examination suggested the presence of blurred optic disc margins. Bedside ocular ultrasound revealed wide optic nerve sheath diameters and bulging optic discs bilaterally. The patient had a ventriculostomy placed for monitoring and received treatment with steroids and mannitol, as well as tocilizumab. After 7 days in the ICU, the patient recovered with no evidence of long-term neurological deficits.

Keywords: CAR-T cell therapy; cancer therapy; immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome; ocular ultrasound.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.