55
*Correspondence and reprint
requests to:
Kostas N. Fountas, 840 Pine St.
Suite 880, Macon, GA 31201.
E-mail: knfountasmd@excite.com
Introduction
Historical Evolution
The size and morphology of the
pupils have long been noted by physi-
cians. Archimedes was among the first
to record observations of the size and
symmetry of pupils in humans, and
Galileo is believed to have been the
first to attempt to accurately calculate
pupil diameters by using an entopic
methodology (1) . Numerous studies of
pupillary size, shape, and the speed of
pupillary constriction have since been
published. Wilson, in his pioneering
Clinical Implications of Quantitative Infrared Pupillometry
in Neurosurgical Patients
Kostas N. Fountas,
1,
* Eftychia Z. Kapsalaki,
2
Theofilos G. Machinis,
1
Angel N. Boev,
1
Joe S. Robinson III,
1
and E. Christopher Troup
1
1
Departments of Neurosurgery and
2
Neuroradiology, Medical Center of Central Georgia, Mercer University
School of Medicine, Macon, GA
study a century ago, introduced the term
“pupil correctopia” and established a re-
lationship between abnormally shaped
pupils and mesencephalic lesions (2) .
Similarly, years later, Fisher reported on
the association of oval or football-shaped
pupils with intracranial catastrophes (3) .
More recently, Marshall et al. established
a relationship between pupil morphol-
ogy and intracranial pressure (ICP) in
their study (4) , and Taylor et al. (5)
reported in their clinical study that
pupillary changes can reveal subtle ICP
changes in a timely fashion.
Take Notice Technology
Abstract
Pupillometry has been widely employed in the evaluation of a large number of
pathological conditions, including intracranial pathology. The recent introduction of a
portable, user-friendly, infrared pupillometer (ForSite, NeurOptics Inc., Irvine, CA) has
enabled the accurate and reproducible measurement of several pupillary parameters,
such as maximum and minimum apertures, constriction and dilation velocities, and
latency period. It should be noted that various clinical conditions, especially neurological
and ocular diseases, as well as numerous medications, may interfere with the measurements.
Furthermore, a number of physiological parameters, such as the intensity of retinal
illumination, the level of patient’s alertness, the intensity of ambient light, as well as
the time of day that the examination is performed may alter the obtained values.
The potential implications of pupillometry in the clinical assessment of neurosurgical
patients, including its complex relationship to intracranial pressure changes, mandate
the undertaking of prospective clinical studies validating the clinical significance of this
noninvasive, diagnostic modality.
Key Words: Anisocoria; constriction velocity; infrared pupillometry; intracranial pressure;
latency period.
( Neurocrit. Care 2006;05:55–60)
Neurocritical Care
Copyright © 2006 Humana Press Inc.
All rights of any nature whatsoever are reserved.
ISSN 1541-6933/06/5:55–60 ISSN 1556-0961 (Online)
DOI: 10.1385/Neurocrit. Care 2006;05:55–60