Clinical Comparison of Intracranial Pressure Measurements Provided by Subdural Screws and Ventricular Catheters

There is now a range of different methods for the measurement of intracranial pressure (ICP) in clinical practice. Those methods which avoid breaching the dura or penetrating the brain surface appear attractive since the potential for producing infection, epilepsy and intracranial hematoma is low. Furthermore such methods avoid the practical difficulty of locating small ventricles which can be a significant problem in attempting ventricular catheterisation in head injured patients. However, if important patient management decisions are to be based on the results obtained, then the limitations of the measurement technique employed must be given serious consideration.