Intracranial pressure monitoring in tuberculous meningitis: clinical and computerized tomographic correlation.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure was monitored in 24 children with acute tuberculous meningitis. 19 had raised intracranial pressure (ICP) as reflected by increased baseline pressure, pressure waves (e.g. B-waves) and increased amplitude of the pulse wave. Correlation between clinical signs of raised ICP and monitored CSF pressure showed that clinical diagnosis of the presence and degree of raised ICP is unreliable, especially in children with a closed anterior fontanelle. Computerized tomographic (CT) scans showed that hydrocephalus was present in all children with raised CSF pressure. No direct correlation was found between the degree of hydrocephalus and the degree of raised ICP. The rôle of ICP monitoring in the diagnosis and management of raised ICP in children with tuberculous meningitis is discussed.