Knowra Intracranial pressure Intracranial pressure Intracranial pressure is the pressure within the skull, arising from brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid, and blood. Its value depends on the balance and volume of these contents within a largely fixed space.
Monro–Kellie doctrine : The principle that the skull’s brain tissue, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid share a nearly fixed volume, so changes in one affect pressure. It explains why added volume from any one intracranial component can raise pressure.
Intracranial pressure monitoring : The measurement of pressure inside the skull using an invasive sensor or, in selected settings, noninvasive methods. Monitoring tracks pressure over time and can guide treatment in severe neurological illness.
Papilledema : Swelling of the optic disc caused by raised pressure transmitted through the cerebrospinal fluid around the optic nerve. It can provide visible evidence of sustained intracranial hypertension.
Mean arterial pressure : The average pressure in the arteries over one cardiac cycle. It is a systemic blood-pressure measure, not pressure within the skull.
Cerebrospinal fluid : The clear fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord and circulates through the central nervous system. Its production, circulation, and displacement alter the volume contributing to intracranial pressure.
External ventricular drain : A catheter placed in a brain ventricle to drain cerebrospinal fluid and measure intracranial pressure. It can both measure pressure and reduce it by draining cerebrospinal fluid.
Cushing reflex : A late physiological response to severe intracranial hypertension, classically involving hypertension, bradycardia, and irregular breathing. Its pattern can signal dangerous pressure-related brainstem distortion.
Normal pressure hydrocephalus : A syndrome of enlarged brain ventricles, gait disturbance, cognitive decline, and urinary symptoms despite typically normal cerebrospinal-fluid pressure measurements. Its name highlights that hydrocephalus can occur without persistently elevated measured pressure.
Cerebral blood flow : The flow of blood through the brain’s vascular network. Changes in intracranial blood volume can change pressure, especially when compensation is limited.
Intracranial hypertension : Abnormally elevated pressure within the skull, caused by conditions such as mass lesions, swelling, or impaired cerebrospinal-fluid flow. It is the dangerous elevation clinicians seek to detect and treat.
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