Increase in intracranial pressure (ICP) is one of the physiologic changes during laparoscopic surgery, which is known to be associated with positional changes. Changes of ICP can be measured directly by invasive method, but ultrasonographic measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) is known to be a rapidly applicable technique for evaluating ICP. The aim of this study is to investigate the change of ONSD according to the positional change during laparoscopic surgery.

Female patients scheduled to undergo laparoscopic surgery were enrolled. Fifty-seven patients were assigned according to the position during surgery (Group T: gynecological surgery, Trendelenburg position, n = 27 vs. Group RT: laparoscopic cholecystectomy, Reverse trendelenburg position, n = 30). After induction of anesthesia, ONSD, PaCO₂, end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO₂), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were measured. Parameters were measured at 6 time points during surgery.

There were no significant differences in the demographic data of patients, procedure time, and anesthesia. After pneumoperitoneum and positional change, ONSD, ETCO₂, and MAP increased in both groups until 15 min and returned to the baseline. However, no significant differences in changes of ONSD, PaCO₂, ETCO₂, and MAP were observed between two groups.

ONSD during laparoscopic surgery with pneumoperitoneum increased slightly until 15 minutes, but there were no significant differences according to the position. Increases in ICP during laparoscopic surgery with short period of pneumoperitoneum would be small in disregard of position in patients without intracranial pathology.