Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria
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Comparative Study
Intracranial pressure following decompressive hemicraniectomy for malignant cerebral infarction: clinical and treatment correlations.
Decompressive craniectomy (DC) reduces mortality and improves outcome in patients with massive brain infarctions. The role of intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring following DC for stroke has not been well established. We evaluated 14 patients admitted to a tertiary hospital with malignant middle cerebral artery infarctions, from October 2010 to February 2015, who underwent DC and had ICP monitoring. Patients with and without episodes of ICP elevation were compared. ⋯ High ICP episodes and ventriculitis were common in patients following hemicraniectomy for malignant middle cerebral artery strokes. Therefore, the implications of ICP and benefits of the procedure should be firmly established.