Clinical Methods of Reducing Intracranial Pressure

IN recent years the neurosurgeon has had the advantage of special technics to control intracranial pressure at the operating table, during the postoperative period and in the nonsurgical treatment of brain swelling,† especially as the result of craniocerebral trauma. It is not generally understood that these methods may also influence the cerebral circulation; in fact, some are effective only because of this influence. An understanding of the differing effects upon cerebral blood flow (CBF) by the technics available for lowering intracranial pressure will help the neurosurgeon select the appropriate one for the given clinical situation.The original hypothesis of Monro . . .