Tympanic Membrane Displacement with External Ventricular Drainage
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Correlation between Tympanic Membrane Displacement and Intracranial Pressure with External Ventricular Drainage (TIE)
IRAS ID
153185
Contact name
Diederik Bulters
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Many diseases and injuries of the brain result in increased pressure inside the head. This is referred to as raised intracranial pressure. The effects of this can be serious and cause a reduced blood flow to the brain ultimately resulting in coma and death and requires prompt recognition to initiate treatment.
Currently the only effective way to measure intracranial pressure is to drill a small hole in the skull and insert a probe directly into the brain to measure the pressure. This is distressing to the patient and carries risks of bleeding and infection and is thus only reserved for the most severe cases. It would be beneficial to have a non-invasive method to measure intracranial pressure.
Tympanic membrane displacement is a technique, which measures tiny movements in the eardrum. These movements reflect the pressure in the inner ear. There is a small connection between the inner ear and the fluid around the brain and hence it is believed that tympanic membrane displacement can be used as a measure of intracranial pressure. How well tympanic membrane displacement corresponds to intracranial pressure still unclear however.
In this study we will measure Tympanic membrane displacement in patients who have had a tube placed in their brain to drain fluid away to reduce the pressure as part of their normal clinical care. Intracranial pressure can be measured through this drain. In the study we will alter how much fluid is drained and hence alter the intracranial pressure. The changes in pressure will be small and remain well below the range where intracranial pressure would otherwise be treated. The results from this will allow us to assess how accurately tympanic membrane displacement is at measuring intracranial pressure.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/SC/0301
Date of REC Opinion
5 Sep 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion