Intracranial pressure monitoring using a newly developed transducer-tipped ventricular drainage catheter.

Abstract

A transducer-tipped ventricular drainage catheter (TVDC) was developed to allow continuous measurement of intracranial pressure (i.c.p.) without interrupting cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage. The 8.5 Fr catheter with a double lumen has 16 side holes for CSF drainage and a small silicone strain-gauge transducer on the side of the catheter tip to measure the ICP directly. The transducer is composed of a 2 x 1 mm2 silicone plate. Calibration must be performed before insertion. The calibrated catheter is inserted into the ventricles, usually via the anterior horn of the lateral ventricles to the foramen of Monro. Recalibration is not necessary even if the patient's head is tilted. The TVDC was applied to patients in whom ICP was suspected to be high and in whom the ventricles were large enough for tapping. The ICP wave form and values measured by the TVDC and the manometer method were equivalent. The drift phenomenon did not occur throughout the entire measurement period. The TVDC is very useful for both controlling and monitoring ICP.