Evaluation of the optic nerve using strain and shear-wave elastography in pre-eclampsia

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Obstetrics

Background:

• Pre-eclampsia is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy.
• Optic nerve involvement can occur in pre-eclampsia.
• Non-invasive imaging techniques are needed to assess these changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of strain elastography and shear-wave elastography in detecting optic nerve changes in pre-eclampsia.
• To compare elastography findings with grey-scale sonography and optical coherence tomography.

Main Methods:

• Strain elastography and shear-wave elastography were performed on 120 eyes from 60 pregnant women (30 with pre-eclampsia, 30 controls).
• Grey-scale sonography and optical coherence tomography were also utilized.
• Data were compared between the pre-eclamptic and control groups.

Main Results:

• Shear-wave elastography showed significantly higher values in the pre-eclampsia group (17.6±4.1 kPa) compared to controls (9.4±2 kPa).
• Strain elastography also revealed significant differences between groups.
• Optic nerve sheath diameter and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness were significantly different between groups.

Conclusions:

• Optic nerve stiffness is increased in pre-eclampsia.
• Elastography can identify biomechanical changes in the optic nerve related to hypertension in pre-eclampsia.
• Elastography shows promise as an assistive diagnostic tool for evaluating optic nerve structure in pre-eclampsia.