[Improved patient monitoring during intracranial pressure measurement by calculating a theoretical pressure-volume curve]

Abstract

Patients with an acute "brain damage" where an intracranial pressure rise can be suspected due to the pathophysiological context are an indication for intracranial pressure measurement. For registrating the reduction of the intracranial reserve space before the rise of the medium pressure, volume-loads from the side-ventricles were undertaken with 54 neurosurgical patients. A better bedside monitoring is possible though the mathematical registration of those factors which indicate the size of the functional intracranial reserve space. With the calculated parameters of the reserve space (pressure-volume-index) a theoretical pressure-volume-curve was demonstrated.