Age as a predictive factor for reduced intracranial compliance in patients with headache

Abstract

Abstract Background Increased intracranial pressure (ICP) consists of a set of signs and symptoms related to changes in intracranial compliance (ICC) and ICP. Objective This study presents a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent non-invasive monitoring of ICC based on complaints of headache, correlating decreased brain compliance and increased intracranial pressure. Methods Noninvasive ICC monitoring was performed using a Brain4care device, which contains a strain gauge and a recorder connected to a mechanical device that touches the scalp surface in the frontoparietal area lateral to the sagittal suture. This tool monitors the ICP by identifying small changes in skull measurements that are caused by pressure variations, i.e., skull deformation is associated with the detection of changes in mean ICP. A clinical evaluation of 32 patients with complaints of headache occurred from the analysis of their medical records. Results Of the 32 patients initially chosen, it was possible to complete the analysis of 18 due to the availability of data in the medical records. From the non-invasive monitoring of the ICC, the following data were collected: time-to-peak, P2/P1 ratio, age, and gender. From the statistical analysis of age and P2/P1 ratio, it was noted that as age increases, ICC tends to decrease regardless of sex (p < 0.05). Conclusion This study concluded that there is a correlation between changes in intracranial compliance and headache complaints in outpatients. There was also a relationship between age and decreased intracranial compliance but without a specific pain pattern.