Headache can be a symptom of many serious diseases. Intracranial hypertension is an increase in intracranial pressure due to head injuries, hemorrhages, inflammation of brain tissue and the development of tumors.
To avoid complications, you need to promptly seek help from the Yusupov Hospital, where the pathology will be diagnosed and treated.
The quality of services provided in the hospital is at the European level. All diagnostic and treatment procedures are performed using the latest medical equipment. The rooms are equipped with maximum comfort for patients.
Do not put off going to the doctor and for any manifestations of increased intracranial pressure, seek help from highly qualified doctors at the Yusupov Hospital.
Intracranial venous hypertension: causes
Often a headache can be caused by a cold, lack of sleep, or overwork. It appears due to increased intracranial pressure. If headaches become permanent and severe, this is a signal to contact the Yusupov Hospital.
Benign intracranial hypertension is an increase in pressure inside the skull that is not associated with any pathological process in the body. Headaches occur due to taking certain medications or due to obesity.
In a healthy person, the volume of the brain consists of certain proportions of the volumes of its fluids and tissues - cerebrospinal fluid, blood and interstitial fluid. When the volume of one of these components increases, the blood pressure in the cranium increases.
If the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid from the skull is disrupted, the volume of cerebrospinal fluid increases and the pressure increases. An increase in the total volume of brain fluids leads to hemorrhages with the formation of hematomas.
The difference in fluid pressure can lead to displacement of brain structures relative to each other. This pathology leads to partial or complete disruption of the normal functioning of the nervous system.
With cerebral edema, an increase in the volume of brain structures occurs and intracranial hypertension is diagnosed.
Reasons for the increase
The normal intracranial pressure in adults is 7-15 mmHg. The main causes of intracranial hypertension:
- an increase in the volume of normal structural components due to edema,
- the appearance of additional space-occupying formations: cysts, tumors, abscesses,
- extra- and intracranial diseases: sinus thrombophlebitis, subdural and epidural hematomas (spontaneous or after injury),
- common inflammatory process: meningitis, meningoencephalitis, encephalitis,
- exo- and endogenous intoxications.
Intracranial hypertension: symptoms in adults and children
Intracranial hypertension syndrome manifests itself in different ways, depending on the location of the pathology that causes increased intracranial pressure, as well as on the stage of the disease and the speed of its development.
Moderate intracranial hypertension manifests itself as:
- headaches;
- dizziness;
- attacks of nausea and vomiting;
- clouding of consciousness;
- seizures
Signs of intracranial hypertension as the pathology develops are often expressed by visual impairment. With greatly increased intracranial pressure, loss of consciousness, impairment of hearing, speech, smell, etc. may occur.
Depending on the nature of the displacement of the lobes of the brain, arterial hypertension, disruption of breathing and normal heart function may be observed. In women of reproductive age, intracranial hypertension syndrome can develop due to menstrual irregularities, during pregnancy, obesity, or as a result of taking certain medications. Pathology can develop against the background of infectious diseases, in particular syphilis.
It is quite common for children to be diagnosed with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (benign) after taking the antibiotic tetracycline, high doses of vitamin A, or corticosteroids. There is no connection between increased intracranial pressure and the development of any disease.
Intracranial hypertension in newborns can occur for several reasons:
- as a result of injuries received during childbirth;
- due to an infectious disease of the mother occurring during pregnancy;
- due to congenital hydrocephalus (dropsy) of the brain, that is, an increase in the volume of the ventricles.
In young children, intracranial hypertension has symptoms in the form of developmental disorders, rolling of the eyeballs, bulging of the forehead, and lack of reaction in the child to harsh light.
In older children, intracranial hypertension manifests itself as headaches, drowsiness, blurred vision, and strabismus.
Drug treatment
In most cases, medications are selected for the patient to normalize intracranial pressure. These include:
- osmodiuretics;
- diuretics;
- potassium preparations;
- detoxifying agents;
- antiviral agents and antibiotics to eliminate the infectious and inflammatory process;
- vascular drugs;
- neurometabolic agents.
Based on the results of a comprehensive diagnosis, the doctor may prescribe magnesium sulfate for injection or piracetam for injection.
Attention! The selection of drug treatment for intracranial pressure is made by the doctor based on the diagnosis and after the diagnosis is made. To normalize the condition, it is important for the patient to reconsider his lifestyle, adjust his daily routine, and avoid psycho-emotional overload. Moderate physical activity is beneficial: walking, swimming.
Prognosis for liquor-hypertensive syndrome directly depends on the cause of its occurrence. With timely treatment of neuroinfections and liquorodynamic disorders, good dynamics and results can be achieved.
Intracranial hypertension: diagnosis
Types of pathology diagnostics include:
- measuring intracranial pressure by inserting a needle into the fluid cavities of the skull or spinal canal with a pressure gauge attached to it.
- tracking the degree of blood filling and dilation of the veins of the eyeball. If the patient has red eyes, that is, the eye veins are abundantly filled with blood and are clearly visible, we can talk about increased intracranial pressure;
- ultrasound examination of cerebral vessels;
- magnetic resonance and computed tomography: the expansion of the fluid cavities of the brain is examined, as well as the degree of rarefaction of the edges of the ventricle;
- conducting an encephalogram.
What to do if the above symptoms appear?
If there are signs of the disease, you should consult a neurologist. To treat a pathological condition, it is necessary to find out its exact cause. That is why the doctor prescribes a set of diagnostic procedures:
- Fundus examination. Allows you to identify swelling of the optic nerve - one of the main signs of intracranial hypertension.
- Echoencephalography is an ultrasound procedure for examining brain tissue. Such diagnostics will help confirm or refute the presence of a tumor, cyst, hemorrhage, or other pathological changes in tissue structure. This diagnostic method does not require preparation, changes in daily routine or nutrition.
- X-ray of the skull. Prescribed for suspected birth defects, fractures or bone displacement. This method also identifies possible tumors that are causing compression.
- CT or MRI of the head. The most accurate and informative diagnostic methods. They allow you to thoroughly assess the condition of bones, soft tissues, and blood vessels. As a rule, the doctor prescribes such a diagnosis after echoencephalography, if it shows the presence of a pathological process.
- Ultrasound of the vessels supplying the brain. It is necessary to identify possible anomalies, tortuosities, and thromboses.
- Angiography. Allows you to visualize large and small vessels and detect areas of affected arteries.
The purpose of the above procedures is to determine the cause of the malaise. Based on the examination results, the specialist prescribes additional diagnostics or decides on treatment.
Intracranial hypertension: treatment, drugs
Increased intracranial pressure can lead to a decrease in the patient’s intellectual abilities and disruptions in the normal functioning of internal organs. Therefore, this pathology requires immediate initiation of treatment aimed at reducing intracranial pressure.
Treatment can only be carried out if the causes of the pathology are correctly diagnosed. For example, if intracranial hypertension occurs due to the development of a tumor or hematoma of the brain, then surgical intervention is required. Removal of a hematoma or neoplasm leads to normalization of intracranial pressure.
When increased intracranial pressure is a consequence of inflammatory processes in the body (meningitis, encephalitis, etc.), then the only effective method of treatment is massive antibiotic therapy. In this case, antibacterial drugs can be injected into the subarachnoid space in combination with the extraction of part of the cerebrospinal fluid.
Therapy is aimed at reducing the release of cerebrospinal fluid while simultaneously increasing its absorption. For this purpose, patients are prescribed diuretics.
Quite often, treatment does not require taking any medications. A set of gymnastic exercises is developed for the patient, the implementation of which leads to a decrease in intracranial pressure. Adjustments are also made to the diet and a drinking regime is developed individually. Light manual therapy, acupuncture and physiotherapy have a beneficial effect. The effectiveness of non-drug treatment is observed within the first week from the start of therapy.
In case of postoperative, congenital cerebrospinal fluid block or other severe cases, surgical treatment is indicated. The most common type of surgical intervention is bypass surgery, that is, the insertion of a special tube with one end into the abdominal cavity or heart cavity, and the other into the cerebrospinal fluid space of the brain. Thus, excess cerebrospinal fluid is constantly removed from the skull, leading to a decrease in pressure.
When intracranial pressure increases at a very high rate and the patient’s life is threatened, urgent measures are required to save the patient. In this case, the patient is injected intravenously with a hyperosmolar solution, artificial ventilation is performed, the patient is put into a medically induced coma, and excess cerebrospinal fluid is removed by puncture.
The most aggressive treatment measure, which is resorted to in the most difficult cases, is decompressive craniotomy. At the time of the operation, a skull defect is created on one or both sides so that the brain does not rest against the bones of the skull.
Intracranial hypertension can be completely eliminated if the causes that caused it (tumor, poor blood flow, etc.) are eliminated.
Reduced intracranial pressure
The clinical picture is not as obvious as with increased blood pressure, but some nonspecific signs occur.
They interfere with human performance and daily activities. Possible symptoms:
- periodic headache of varying intensity,
- irritability, poor attention and weakness,
- dizziness and drop in blood pressure,
- nausea, chills,
- changes in the emotional background (emotional lability),
- blurred vision.
Causes of low blood pressure: performing medical interventions or operations that lead to hypotension. For example, diagnostic lumbar puncture.
Injuries leading to rupture of the dura mater also have an effect. Systemic changes: uremia or dehydration.
Treatment of intracranial hypertension at the Yusupov Hospital
Intracranial hypertension is a pathological condition caused by diseases of the brain and not only. The pathology requires mandatory treatment to avoid the development of numerous and irreversible consequences. Do not delay going to the doctor for any manifestations of increased intracranial pressure.
Doctors at the Yusupov Hospital have extensive experience in treating intracranial hypertension. The quality of services provided in the hospital is at the European level. All diagnostic and treatment procedures are performed using the latest medical equipment. The rooms are equipped with maximum comfort for patients. You can make an appointment with a doctor by phone.
Measurement methods
It is impossible to independently measure intracranial pressure at home.
We need the help of competent doctors and medical equipment. There are two main measurement methods - invasive and non-invasive. The first non-invasive method is fundus ophthalmoscopy. The doctor will perform an examination and estimate the eye pressure based on the diameter of the optic nerve head. With intracranial hypertension, the disc will be swollen, enlarged, with unclear contours.
Transcranial Doppler ultrasound shows pulsation and blood flow in the cerebral arteries. An increase in the index above accepted values means an increase in pressure in the cranial cavity.
scan of the brain
detect possible injuries and damage, swelling, hematomas and tissue displacement. In children, you can perform an ultrasound through an open fontanel and see the structures of the brain.
An invasive but reliable method is a spinal puncture. The procedure is performed strictly according to indications. The state of the cerebrospinal fluid is assessed: pressure and physical characteristics. Based on the rate of its flow, one can guess the nature of the liquor pressure.
