Variations of homovanillic acid levels in ventricular cerebrospinal fluid.

We studied the nycterohemeral variations of homovanillic acid (HVA) in ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in 24 patients undergoing monitoring of intracranial pressure as part of the normotensive hydrocephalus (NTH) work-up. CSF samples were obtained every 4 h in each patient. The mean individual values of HVA in the ventricular CSF ranged from 133 to 421 ng/ml, and they could not be correlated to any clinical feature. The intraindividual levels of HVA were stable throughout 24 hours, with a variation coefficient inferior to 10% in 63% of cases, and inferior to 20% in all the patients.