Management of Intracranial Hypertension
Leonardo Rangel-Castillo, MD, Shankar Gopinath, MD, and Claudia S.
Robertson, MD*
Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030,
USA
Abstract
Effective management of...
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Management of Intracranial Hypertension
Leonardo Rangel-Castillo, MD, Shankar Gopinath, MD, and Claudia S.
Robertson, MD*
Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030,
USA
Abstract
Effective management of intracranial hypertension involves meticulous avoidance of factors that
precipitate or aggravate increased intracranial pressure.
When intracranial pressure becomes
elevated, it is important to rule out new mass lesions that should be surgically evacuated.
Medical
management of increased intracranial pressure should include sedation, drainage of cerebrospinal
fluid, and osmotherapy with either mannitol or hypertonic saline.
For intracranial hypertension
refractory to initial medical management, barbiturate coma, hypothermia, or decompressive
craniectomy should be considered.
Steroids are not indicated and may be harmful in the treatment
of intracranial hypertension resulting from traumatic brain injury.
Intracranial hypertension is
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