The brain is protected from external influences, mechanical injuries and concussions by cerebrospinal fluid, a special fluid that surrounds it from all sides. It is held in the skull by a certain pressure. In a healthy body, it is 75 to 250 mm of water column. If this indicator deviates from the established norm, the state of health worsens. Therefore, many people are interested in how to measure intracranial pressure , to determine whether it has increased, or decreased, how severe the pathological changes are.
How to measure intracranial pressure and what are the symptoms of its violation?
Unlike arterial pressure, the pressure inside the skull is not so easy to determine. Modern medicine has only 3 ways of the most accurate measurement of this indicator:
- Epidural. In advance, a trepanation hole is selected, which is shaved and treated with an antiseptic, local anesthetic. After this, an incision is made, a flap of skin is removed and trepanation (drilling) is carried out. The resulting hole serves to insert a special sensor into the area between the dura mater and the skull.
- Subdural. In this case, similar to the previous method, a trephine hole is drilled. However, another device is introduced into the cavity - the subdural screw. This procedure is more traumatic than epidural, and is performed only in severe cases of increased intracranial pressure, since it allows to pump excess CSF and reduce the described index.
- Intraventricular. The examination is performed using a catheter, which is inserted through the trephination hole into the area of the lateral ventricle of the brain. Thanks to this method, too, you can pump out excess fluid, but more qualitatively and less traumatically than in the previous case.
Also, pressure measurement inside the skull is carried out indirectly, by recording this index in the subarachnoid spinal space in the lumbar region by means of a spinal puncture. But the results of such measurements are not very accurate, and for some diseases, for example, tumors in the brain, are generally uninformative.
As additional methods of investigation, magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography of the brain is prescribed. Indications for the measurement are the following symptoms:
- headache;
- vomiting and nausea;
- fatigue;
- increased heart rate;
- dark circles under the lower eyelids;
- irritability ;
- sweating;
- blood pressure jumps;
- drowsiness;
- pre-occlusive conditions;
- swelling of the face;
- visual impairment;
- hearing loss.
Is it possible to measure intracranial pressure alone?
No devices that allow to conduct the examination at home, there is no, respectively, it can not be performed independently.
A person can only assume the presence of problems with intracranial pressure for well-being, pay attention to the clinical manifestations listed above.
Where can I measure intracranial pressure?
Necessary procedures are performed only in medical institutions equipped with
It is worth noting that an outpatient study is not conducted, you need to stay in the hospital clinic.
Which doctor measures intracranial pressure?
The brain belongs to the organs of the nervous system. Therefore, problems with the pressure inside the skull are handled by a neuropathologist. The direction to it usually gives either a therapist or an ophthalmologist on the basis of specific signs of pathologies and the state of the vessels of the fundus.