You are here

Article Text

Article menu
Download PDFPDF
Original articles
Intracranial pressure and cerebral blood flow velocity in preterm infants with posthaemorrhagic ventricular dilatation
  1. W J Maertzdorf1,
  2. J S H Vles2,
  3. E Beuls3,
  4. A L M Mulder1,
  5. C E Blanco1
  1. 1Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands
  2. 2Department of Child Neurology, University Hospital Maastricht
  3. 3Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Maastricht
  1. Correspondence to:
    Dr Maertzdorf, Department of Paediatrics, Academic Hospital Maastricht, PO 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands;
    wma{at}skin.azm.nl

Abstract

Aim: To determine the volume of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that should be tapped in preterm infants with posthaemorrhagic ventricular dilatation as guided by intracranial pressure (ICP) and cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV).

Methods: The total number of measurements was 106 in 22 infants. Birth weights ranged from 630 to 2050 g, gestational age from 24.5 to 30.3 weeks, and age at insertion from 12 to 67 days. A subcutaneous ventricular catheter reservoir for repetitive CSF drainage was placed when the diameter of a ventricle was > 4 mm above the 97th centile. A volume of 5 ml/kg body weight was removed twice daily. ICP and CBFV were determined before and after CSF tapping.

Results: If the ICP after tapping exceeded 7 cm H2O, tapping did not result in a significant improvement in CBFV. If the ICP before tapping was less than 6 cm H2O, tapping also had no effect on CBFV. Longitudinal studies in individual infants showed a slight correlation between ICP and CBFV.

Conclusion: Volume of repetitive CSF drainage in preterm infants with posthaemorrhagic ventricular dilatation guided by ICP and CBFV may be a useful technique. An ICP of about 6 cm H2O is the cut off point for CSF drainage.

  • preterm
  • hydrocephalus
  • intracranial pressure
  • cerebrospinal fluid drainage
  • PHVD, posthaemorrhagic ventricular dilatation
  • ICP, intracranial pressure
  • CSF, cerebrospinal fluid
  • CBFV, cerebral blood flow velocity
  • EDFV, end diastolic flow velocity
  • MFV, mean flow velocity
  • RI, resistance index

https://doi.org/10.1136/fn.87.3.F185

Statistics from Altmetric.com

    Request Permissions

    If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

    View Full Text

    Linked Articles

    • Fantoms
      Fantoms
      Ben Stenson
      Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition 2002; 87 F235-F235 Published Online First: 01 Nov 2002. doi: 10.1136/fn.87.3.F235