Anesthesia review finds a smaller optic nerve sheath measurement with propofol
During laparoscopic or robotic pelvic surgery, propofol was associated with a smaller ultrasound measurement around the optic nerve than sevoflurane. This indirectly estimates pressure inside the skull; patient benefits remain unestablished.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The pooled trials found a smaller optic nerve sheath diameter with propofol than with sevoflurane, although the measurement rose from baseline under both anesthetics. Because this diameter is an indirect estimate of pressure inside the skull, the result should remain a measurement finding. The abstract does not establish better neurological outcomes or greater overall safety.
This abstract-based account concerns an indirect pressure measure. The abstract does not report direct pressure measurements or clinical neurological outcomes, and does not specify the exact timing used for the pooled anesthetic comparison.
What researchers found
Ultrasound measurement during surgery
Propofol versus sevoflurane; 95% confidence interval -0.37 to -0.10 mm. The exact pooled measurement time during surgery is not reported.
What the measurement means
Researchers used ultrasound to measure the sheath surrounding the optic nerve. The review treats its diameter as an indirect indicator of pressure inside the skull, rather than as a direct measurement of that pressure.
Why surgical context matters
The included operations involved gas inflation of the abdomen and a head-down surgical position. The study therefore addresses an anesthetic comparison under these particular conditions; it does not evaluate propofol across every type of surgery.
The original publication
Effect of propofol and sevoflurane anesthesia on the optic nerve sheath: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Bertti ROT, Vane LA, de Moraes JMS et al.
Braz J Anesthesiol · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40480549
- Record checked
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