• Gen Kusaka, John W Calvert, Christopher Smelley, Anil Nanda, and John H Zhang.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, 1501 Kings Highway, P.O. Box 33932, Shreveport, LA 71130-3932, USA.
• J. Neurosci. Methods. 2004 May 30;135(1-2):121-7.

ObjectiveMonitoring cerebrospinal fluid pressure or intracranial pressure (ICP) is crucial in the study of neurosurgical disorders. In the present study, we report a new lumbar method for monitoring ICP in rats.MethodsA PE10 catheter connected to a pressure transducer was placed into the subarachnoid space of L5 through the duramater after laminectomy to record lumbar cerebrospinal fluid pressure (lumbar-ICP). ICP at the cisterna magna (cisterna-ICP) was recorded simultaneously via a catheter in the subarachnoid space at the cisterna magna. Eighteen anesthetized adult male S-D rats were subjected to baseline recording followed by either experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) induced by intravascular puncture method or experimental intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) induced by blood injection with a stereotaxic system.ResultsBaseline lumbar-ICP and cisterna-ICP varied between 6 and 8 mmHg, and respiratory variation could be detected. A similar acute response to SAH was recorded in both the lumbar-ICP and cisterna-ICP in all rats. In rats subjected to SAH, the lumbar catheter continuously and accurately monitored lumbar-ICP, and reliable pressure tracings were obtained for up to 24 h after SAH. However, continued cisterna-ICP monitoring was abandoned in two rats in the cisterna magna method due to obstruction of the catheter by blood clots (hematoma).ConclusionThis new lumbar-ICP method is simple, safe, easy, and reliable in rats. Continued lumbar-ICP measurements provided monitoring for up to 24 h after experimental manipulation.

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