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Published in: Acta Neurochirurgica 6/2010

01-06-2010 | Clinical Article

Is ventriculomegaly in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus associated with a transmantle gradient in pulsatile intracranial pressure?

Authors: Per Kristian Eide, Terje Sæhle

Published in: Acta Neurochirurgica | Issue 6/2010

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Abstract

Purpose

In patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) and ventriculomegaly, examine whether there is a gradient in pulsatile intracranial pressure (ICP) from within the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of cerebral ventricles (ICPIV) to the subdural (ICPSD) compartment. We hypothesized that pulsatile ICP is higher within the ventricular CSF.

Methods

The material includes 10 consecutive iNPH patients undergoing diagnostic ICP monitoring as part of pre-operative work-up. Eight patients had simultaneous ICPIV and ICPSD signals, and two patients had simultaneous signals from the lateral ventricle (ICPIV) and the brain parenchyma (ICPPAR). Intracranial pulsatility was characterized by the wave amplitude, rise time, and rise time coefficient; static ICP was characterized by mean ICP.

Results

None of the patients demonstrated gradients in pulsatile ICP, that is, we found no evidence of higher pulsatile ICP within the CSF of the cerebral ventricles (ICPIV), as compared to either the subdural (ICPSD) compartment or within the brain parenchyma (ICPPAR). During ventricular infusion testing in one patient, the ventricular ICP (ICPIV) was artificially increased, but this increase in ICPIV produced no gradient in pulsatile ICP from the ventricular CSF (ICPIV) to the parenchyma (ICPPAR).

Conclusions

In this cohort of iNPH patients, we found no evidence of transmantle gradient in pulsatile ICP. The data gave no support to the hypothesis that pulsatile ICP is higher within the CSF of the cerebral ventricles (ICPIV) than within the subdural (ICPSD) compartment or the brain parenchyma (ICPPAR) in iNPH patients.
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Metadata
Title
Is ventriculomegaly in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus associated with a transmantle gradient in pulsatile intracranial pressure?
Authors
Per Kristian Eide
Terje Sæhle
Publication date
01-06-2010
Publisher
Springer Vienna
Published in
Acta Neurochirurgica / Issue 6/2010
Print ISSN: 0001-6268
Electronic ISSN: 0942-0940
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-010-0605-x

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