Increased intracranial pressure
EBM Guidelines
Mar 30, 2021 • Latest change Mar 30, 2021
Table of contents
Extract
- Intracranial pressure may increase slowly or rapidly.
- The possibility of slowly increased intracranial pressure must be considered in a patient whose symptoms include headache, nausea and vomiting, problems with memory, vision and balance, or impaired level or loss of consciousness.
- In a catastrophic brain event (brain injury, cerebral haemorrhage, subarachnoid haemorrhage, brain infarction, status epilecticus), the increasing intracranial pressure does not immediately cause papillary stasis.
- Direct ophthalmoscopy should be performed for the presence of papilloedema; normal optic discs do not, however, rule out rapidly increasing intracranial pressure in brain emergencies (e.g. brain injury).
- Increased intracranial pressure warrants immediate imaging of the head (CT, MRI) in order to establish the cause and the correct acute treatment.
- In the neurointensive care of an acute catastropic brain event, the management of intracranial pressure is a central challenge, and uncontrolled pressure may lead to brain death.
Search terms
Brain Edema, Child, Emergency skull, G91.2, G91.2, G93.2, G93.2, G93.6, G93.6, Hydrocephalus, Hydrocephalus, Normal Pressure, Hyperventilation, Hypoventilation, Intracranial Hypertension, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Papilledema, Pupil, R90.0, R90.0, S06.1, S06.1, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, anoxia, intracranial pressure