Effects of Hypercapnia and Systemic Arterial Hypo- and Hypertension on the Interrelation between CSF Pulse Pressure and Volume-Pressure Response

The interrelation between CSF pulse pressure (CSFPP) and volume-pressure response (VPR) has been previously described (1,2). These studies had been oriented toward clinical applicability: continuous monitoring of intracranial volume-pressure (V/P) relationships by means of CSFPP. A disturbing factor, however, is the variable volume change underlying CSFPP: the transient increase in cerebral blood volume per cardiac cycle (ΔV). The origin of AV was attributed to the difference between the pulsatile patterns of the cerebral arterial inflow and venous outflow of blood (1). Hemodynamic factors may thus be expected to affect AV and consequently CSFPP. An experimental study was therefore designed to investigate the effects of some major clinical variables, hypercapnia and arterial hypo- and hypertension, on the interrelation between CSFPP and VPR.