MINIATURE TRANSDUCER FOR INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE MONITORING IN MAN

Studies of intracranial pressure variations over an extended period are of great value as an index of the clinical state in many neurosurgical cases. The established methods based on lumbar or ventricular fluid pressure (VFP) have certain disadvantages, especially during protracted recordings (Lundberg 1960). The permanent tube connection between the ventricles and the surface represents an increasing risk to the patient. Leakage or blocking of the hydraulic system directly affects the measurement as do movements of the head or connecting tubing. Current technological research has rendered the construction of different low-displacement electromanometers possible (Hulme I& Cooper 1966, Jacobson & Rofhballer 1967). We describe such a pressure-measuring device which can be implanted intracranially for protracted recording.