Early Recognition of Raised Intracranial Pressure in Craniosynostosis Using Optical Coherence Tomography

Abstract

Objective: Craniosynostosis can be associated with raised intracranial pressure (ICP), which can pose deleterious effects on the brain and vision if untreated. Estimating ICP in children is challenging, whilst gold standard direct intracranial measurement of ICP is invasive and carries risk. This systematic review aims to evaluate the role of optical coherence tomography (OCT), a noninvasive imaging technique, for detecting raised ICP in children with craniosynostosis.

Methods: The authors conducted a systematic review of the literature published from inception until 19 August, 2019 in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE. Eligible studies evaluated the role of OCT in detecting raised ICP in children aged 0 to 16 years with craniosynostosis. Main outcome measures were sensitivity and specificity of OCT parameters for raised ICP. Quality assessment was performed using the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-sectional Studies.

Results: Out of 318 records identified, data meeting the inclusion criteria were obtained from 3 studies. The quality of 2 studies was poor whilst 1 was fair. Optical coherence tomography demonstrated higher sensitivity and specificity for detecting raised ICP compared to fundus examination, clinical history, radiological testing, and visual field testing.

Conclusions: This systematic review demonstrated a lack of quality evidence for OCT as a screening tool for children with craniosynostosis. Further research is required to clarify the strength of OCT in this role and to determine which OCT parameters are most appropriate.