title: [Intracranial pressure-volume relationship. Physiology and pathophysiology].
abstract: Posttraumatic increase of intracranial pressure (ICP) is a strong prognostic factor for the outcome of patients after traumatic brain injury. After exhausting all compensatory mechanisms ICP increases exponentially, where ICP(norm)=(CSF production*CSF flow resistance)+venous pressure((sinus sagittalis))=10-15 mmHg. The ICP curve is influenced by the compliance (DeltaV/DeltaP) and elasticity (DeltaP/DeltaV) of the brain. Marmarou could demonstrate that the non-linear cranio-spinal pressure-volume relationship describes a logarithmic, mono-exponential, strongly linear relationship between pressure and volume and named this the pressure volume index (PVI=log ICP/DeltaV). The pressure volume index describes the volume necessary to increase ICP by a factor of 10. Additionally to PVI the measurement of volume-pressure response (VPR) was introduced. The continuous intracranial compliance could be determined on the principle of pulsatile volume increases as an equivalent of very small intra-cranial volume increases. However, to ascertain functional status of the injured brain a combination of measurements of different parameters, such as tissue oxygen partial pressure (p(ti)O2), cerebral blood flow (CBF), microdialysis and electrocorticography (ECoG) is recommended.
authors.affiliation: Neurochirurgische Klinik, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Deutschland. klaus.zweckberger@med.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zweckberger
authors.forename: O W
authors.initials: OW
authors.lastname: Sakowitz
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Unterberg
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Kiening
mesh_terms: D001810:Blood Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D003187:Compliance; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004548:Elasticity; D006801:Humans; D007427:Intracranial Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative