A Clinical study of the Intracranial Pressure Measurement by Use of a Fiberoptic Pressure Monitor

ABSTRACT

Continous monitoring of intracranial pressure can be one of the most inportant physical parameters in assesing patients who have or might develop intracranial hypertension. The authors has measured an intracranial epidural pressure by use of a Fiberoptic pressure monitor on 20 cases among brain damaged patients and evaluated it's effect by an epidural pressure change and Glasgow coma scale change after craniectomy and hypertonic solution infusion. Intracranial pressure was compared with signs of increased ICP on brain computed tomography. Also, complications were evaluated. The results are as follows ; 1) Average intracranial pressure was significantly decreased 48cmH2O during the first day after craniectomy. 2) Average intracranial pressure was significantly decreased 33cmH2O after infusion of 10% glycerol. 3) Improvement of the clinical states after craniectomy was not found in the cases above 20cmH2O in spite of decreasing intracranial pressure. 4) Sixteen of seventeen patients showing signs of increased intracranial pressure on brain computed tomography on admission developed elevated intracranial pressure. 5) The infection and intracranial hemorrhage were not found at the monitoring implement site three weeks after removing the intracranial pressure monitor.