Non-Invasive Measurement of Intracranial Pressure in Neonates and Infants: Experience with the Rotterdam Teletransducer

Abstract

On the basis of an experience of more than 400 recordings, we demonstrate the usefulness of the anterior fontanelle pressure monitoring (AFP) in several clinical conditions. Main indications for AFP monitoring are the evaluation and the differential diagnosis of neonatal encephalopathy and the assessment of infants with enlarged ventricular spaces, ventriculo-peritoneal derivation or increased head growth rate. Further technical progress is needed to permit AFP recordings in infants with small anterior fontanelle and to reduce the time necessary for the AFP measurement and interpretation procedure. We conclude that it is technically possible and clinically helpful to obtain accurate information about ICP and changes in cerebral compliance in a wide range of clinical conditions without the use of invasive techniques.