Optic nerve sheath incision appears unnecessary for traumatic optic neuropathy

This retrospective study found that optic nerve sheath incision is not obligatory for the improvement of visual acuity in patients who undergo optic canal decompression for traumatic optic neuropathy.

The study included 31 TON patients who underwent optic canal decompression with optic nerve sheath incision and 43 who underwent the procedure without optic nerve sheath incision.

After surgery, visual acuity was improved in 47 of the 74 patients. However, there was no significant difference in visual acuityimprovement between the two groups, with 61 percent of the optic nerve sheath incision group improving and 65 percent improving in the other group. Among patients with some vision preoperatively, visual improvement was seen after surgery in 64 percent of the optic nerve sheath incision group and 71 percent in the other group.

The authors conclude that when comparing the efficacy of endoscopic optic nerve decompression with and without nerve sheath incision in traumatic optic neuropathy patients, the ratio of improvement favored no nerve sheath incision during surgery.