The Pupilometer Has Improved Brain Injury Assessment
The pupilometer is a groundbreaking invention that has improved the way doctors assess brain injury using the patient's neurological pupil index. There are several steps to evaluating a brain injury, but the pupilometer is a revolutionary invention that has made the process easier and more accurate. The measurement of the pupillary response to light can also determine the level of consciousness. The pupillary light reflex results from the integration of several neurological pathways that include the optic nerve, pretectum, oculomotor nerve, Edinger-Westphal nucleus, ciliary ganglion, pupillary dilator, and sphincter pupillae.
Areas of Brain Injury Assessment Pupilometry is a simple, non-invasive form of neuro-assessment. It is beneficial in investigating patients where tests such as CT and MRI are not feasible and when giving information about the functional status of the optic nerve, constriction velocity, and brainstem. The pupilometer can be utilized in the following areas of brain injury:
1. Concussion Pupilometry helps check the consciousness level of patients after mild head injuries, especially when patients cannot cooperate and MRI is considered too high-risk. Pupils can be monitored closely for dysfunction (i.e., lag or failure to react to light). 2. Contusion In the case of contusions, the irritability of the eye is lessened, and the patient exhibits reduced visual acuity. The iris is contracted and cloudy, the cornea is opaque and congested, the visual field is disturbed, and the eye may be misaligned. 3. Miosis Doctors can use the pupilometer when checking a person's pupils for miosis (pinpoint pupils). When the pupil is constricted, the levator palpebrae muscle is brought into use, causing the upper eyelid to rise. This is known as miosis. 4. Subarachnoid or focal hemorrhage Here, pupilometry helps to check the progress of the treatment of subarachnoid hemorrhage and the patient's prognosis. Subarachnoid hemorrhage is characterized by the complete or partial rupture of a cerebral artery into the intracranial space, thus causing blood to seep into the subarachnoid space. 5. Axonal shear or laceration A pupilometer is a valuable tool in diagnosing axonal shear or laceration. It is non-invasive and easy to use and thus does not cause the patient additional stress.