Assessing pupil reaction to light using ultrasound in a sick neonate with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy

Abstract. 

Examining pupil reaction to light is an important component of the neurological examination in infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) to determine eligibility for therapeutic hypothermia (TH) and as part of serial neurological assessment for prognostication. Pupil examination can be challenging in critically ill infants with generalized edema. In this paper I report a simple technique using bedside point of care ultrasound to examine the pupil reaction to light in an infant with moderate HIE undergoing therapeutic hypothermia.

*Corresponding Author: 

Khorshid Mohammad, MD, MSc, FABP, FRCP (Edin), Alberta children’s hospital, Room B4-286, 28 Oki Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T3B 6A8, Canada. Tel.: +1 4039555079; Fax: +1 4039557908; E-mail: Khorshid.mohammad@ahs.ca.