Pupillary Response in Traumatic Brain Injury

Pupillary Response in Traumatic Brain Injury

A patient with Traumatic Brain Injury develops abnormal pupils often indicative of increasing ICP due to progression of cerebral edema or hemorrhage.

Pupillary Response in Traumatic Brain Injury involves sensory, motor, and perceptual problems. Pupil dilation is the result of herniation giving rise to mechanical compression of the third cranial nerve and subsequent brain stem compromise.

Reactivity to Light Clinicians use the cutting-edge Pupilometer to measure pupil reactivity to point out the abnormalities in steady-state pupil dynamics and size and thereby evaluate the functioning of the autonomic nervous system. The device helps measure pupillary light reflex and pupil evaluation in drug injury and fatigue and gauges the metabolism of drugs.

The rods and cones of the retina send the impulse via afferent nerve pathways through axons in the optic chiasm, optic nerve, and optic tract when light is shone into the eye.

Researchers found, as compared to normals, that pupil reaction is found to be reasonably delayed and reduced after a concussion. However, they are found to be symmetrical with a

shorter baseline diameter. Various pupillary factors also distinguishes them without photosensitivity.

Pupil reactions follow a ● concussion ● transtentorial herniation ● anoxia ● Brain death ● Defect in the efferent pathway ● Early compression of cranial nerve III ● Lesion/injury to the midbrain ● Barbiturate toxicity ● Defects in the afferent pathway ● Lesion or atrophy of the retina ● optic nerve causes damage ● Retinal detachment ● Occlusion in retinal vas

Major Pupillary Reactions Patients develop Blurred Vision or lose the capability to switch focus between far and near objects. In the case of Double Vision, your pair of eyes stops working together in the right way. Peripheral vision loss signifies the retention of central vision with the loss of wideangle field vision. Such conditions occur due to concussions, glaucoma, or retinitis pigmentosa.

A dynamic pupillometry provides many objective biomarkers for the presence of photosensitive and mild traumatic brain injury, gives insight into the global sites of possible related mechanisms and neurological dysfunction, and should result in improved patient care.

Because of increased internal pressure in case of a brain injury, the pupil goes through various transformations. NPI 300 pupilometer helps treat head injury. Besides measuring pupillary size and response, it is also beneficial for the pupillary response in traumatic brain injury.

However, there are other clinical factors too that may cause an abnormal pupil response.