Clinical applications of the pressure-volume index in treatment of pediatric head injuries.

The pressure-volume index (PVI) technique of assessing neural axis pressure-volume relationships was used as an adjunct to managing 22 children with severe head injuries and a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 or less. Ventricular cannulation was used to continuously monitor intracranial pressure (ICP). Actual PVI was measured by bolus injection of fluid and compared with predicted values determined from head circumference and spinal axis length in each patient. In 55% of the children, ICP was below 20 mm Hg at initial monitoring. During the course of monitoring, 86% of the children had ICP's exceeding 20 mm Hg. Reduced PVI (less than 80% of predicted normal) proved to be an accurate indicator of impending intracranial hypertension. The PVI proved to be a useful test for assessing the response to therapies for lowering ICP. This study demonstrates that reduced neural axis compliance accompanies intracranial hypertension following severe head injury in children, and that treatment of reduced neural axis compliance may prevent refractory intracranial hypertension.