Intracranial pressure monitoring
Encyclopedia
The monitoring of intracranial pressure
is used in treating severe traumatic brain injury
patients. This process is called intracranial pressure monitoring. All current clinical available measurement methods are invasive and use various transducer systems (most used is insertion of a catheter into the cranium). Some non-invasive intracranial pressure measurement methods
are currently being studied; these would facilitate diagnostics of traumatic brain injury or other causes of intracranial hypertension without the risks associated with invasive modalities.
When the brain
suffers severe trauma it begins to swell inside the skull. If the brain swelling goes undetected and is not treated the brain becomes deprived of oxygen-rich blood and "starves". This secondary injury causes permanent brain damage. With ICP Monitoring, which tells doctors how much swelling the brain has sustained and can drain cerebrospinal fluid, which would relieve some of the pressure, this outcome can be prevented.
In the United States surveys conducted in 1995, 2000 and 2006 have shown that since 1995 (the year the TBI Guidelines were published) ICP Monitoring rose from 32% to 78% in 2005.
Intracranial pressure
Intracranial pressure is the pressure inside the skull and thus in the brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid . The body has various mechanisms by which it keeps the ICP stable, with CSF pressures varying by about 1 mmHg in normal adults through shifts in production and absorption of CSF...
is used in treating severe traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injury , also known as intracranial injury, occurs when an external force traumatically injures the brain. TBI can be classified based on severity, mechanism , or other features...
patients. This process is called intracranial pressure monitoring. All current clinical available measurement methods are invasive and use various transducer systems (most used is insertion of a catheter into the cranium). Some non-invasive intracranial pressure measurement methods
Non-invasive intracranial pressure measurement methods
Increased intracranial pressure is one of the major causes of secondary brain ischemia that accompanies a variety of pathological conditions, most notably, traumatic brain injury , stroke, and intracranial hemorrhages...
are currently being studied; these would facilitate diagnostics of traumatic brain injury or other causes of intracranial hypertension without the risks associated with invasive modalities.
When the brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
suffers severe trauma it begins to swell inside the skull. If the brain swelling goes undetected and is not treated the brain becomes deprived of oxygen-rich blood and "starves". This secondary injury causes permanent brain damage. With ICP Monitoring, which tells doctors how much swelling the brain has sustained and can drain cerebrospinal fluid, which would relieve some of the pressure, this outcome can be prevented.
In the United States surveys conducted in 1995, 2000 and 2006 have shown that since 1995 (the year the TBI Guidelines were published) ICP Monitoring rose from 32% to 78% in 2005.