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Traumatic brain injury

Intracranial pressure monitoring in traumatic brain injury

Nature Reviews Neurology volume 9, pages 185–186 (2013)Cite this article

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A randomized study has indicated that continuous monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP) in patients with traumatic brain injury does not improve outcome compared with care based on imaging and clinical examination. The results do not, however, justify elimination of continuous ICP measurement from standard care in patients with head injury.

Raised intracranial pressure (ICP) is a life-threatening condition that can result in brainstem compression and compromised brain circulation. Increased ICP is the most common cause of death in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Monitoring of ICP is, therefore, a reasonable approach to discover a progressive increase in ICP in these patients. Chesnut and colleagues have recently published an interesting randomized, multicentre controlled trial that investigated whether treatment decisions that are based on ICP monitoring are associated with improved outcomes compared with decisions that are not based on information from ICP data in patients with TBI.1

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, Copenhagen, DK-2100, Denmark

    Bertil Romner

  2. Department of Aesthaesia and Intensive Care, Lund University Hospital, Getingevägen 4, Lund, 221 85, Sweden

    Per-Olof Grände

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  1. Bertil Romner
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  2. Per-Olof Grände
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Correspondence to Bertil Romner.

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Romner, B., Grände, PO. Intracranial pressure monitoring in traumatic brain injury. Nat Rev Neurol 9, 185–186 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2013.37

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