Intracranial compliance and volumetry in patients with traumatic brain injury

Abstract

Background: Cerebral edema (CE) and intracranial hypertension (IHT) are complications of numerous neurological pathologies. However, the study of CE and noninvasive methods to predict IHT remains rudimentary. This study aims to identify in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients the relationship between the volume of the lateral ventricles and the parameters of the noninvasive intracranial pressure waveform (nICPW). Methods: This is an analytical, descriptive, and cross-sectional study with nonsurgical TBI patients. The monitoring of nICPW was performed with a mechanical strain gauge, and the volumetry of the lateral ventricles was calculated using the free 3D Slicer software, both during the acute phase of the injury. The linear model of fixed and random mixed effects with Gamma was used to calculate the influence of nICPW parameters (P2/P1 and time-to-peak [TTP]) values on volumetry. Results: Considering only the fixed effects of the sample, there was P = 0.727 (95% CI [−0.653; 0.364]) for the relationship between P2/P1 and volumetry and 0.727 (95% CI [−1.657; 1.305]) for TTP and volumetry. Considering the fixed and random effects, there was P = 8.5e-10 (95% CI [−0.759; 0.355]) for the relationship between P2/P1 and volumetry and 8.5e-10 (95% CI [−2.001; 0.274]) for TTP and volumetry. Conclusion: The present study with TBI patients found association between nICPW parameters and the volume of the lateral ventricles in the 1st days after injury.