Diagnostic Value of Point‐of‐Care Ultrasound‐Guided Assessment of Relative Afferent Pupillary Defect in Adult Ocular Trauma Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department

Abstract

ObjectivesEarly diagnosis of relative afferent pupillary defects (RAPDs) in patients with ocular trauma is crucial for timely management and improved outcomes. However, clinical examination can be challenging for patients with periorbital ecchymosis. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of point‐of‐care ultrasound (POCUS) and clinical examination by emergency physicians for detecting RAPD in adult ocular trauma patients and to evaluate the proportion of RAPD in patients with ocular trauma who presented to the ED.MethodsThis prospective cohort study was conducted at an academic emergency department in South India. Adult ocular trauma patients were assessed for RAPD using clinical examinations by emergency physicians and POCUS. The diagnostic accuracies of both methods were compared, with the ophthalmologist's final diagnosis serving as the gold standard. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated for both techniques.ResultsA total of 376 patients (median age, 35 years) were included in this study. RAPD was identified in 14.63% of the patients. The sensitivity and specificity of POCUS in detecting RAPD were 92.73% and 99.38%, respectively, which were higher than those of clinical examination, with a sensitivity of 81.82% and specificity of 99.07%. The PPV and NPV of the clinical examination were 93.75% and 96.95%, respectively, whereas the PPV and NPV of POCUS were 96.23% and 98.76%, respectively. POCUS accurately diagnosed RAPD in patients with periorbital ecchymosis.ConclusionPOCUS‐guided RAPD assessment proves to be a better diagnostic adjunct compared to clinical examination in patients with ocular trauma presenting to the emergency department.