Intracranial pressure time course in primary intracerebral hemorrhage.

The course of intracranial pressure (ICP) over time was studied in 66 hypertensive and/or altherosclerotic patients harboring intracerebral hematomas. Patients with no disturbance of consciousness showed normal or only slightly elevated pressure. Conversely, most patients in deep coma exhibited high pressure with a tendency to rise further no matter what treatment was used. In the remaining patients with intermediate disturbances of consciousness, no definite correlation was found between ICP, clinical condition, and outcome. In all of the patients who underwent operation, the postoperative course of ICP over time was also studied and seemed to depend to a certain extent on the timing of the operation.