What is increased intracranial
pressure (ICP)?
Increased intracranial pressure (ICP) is a rise in pressure around your
brain. It may be due to an increase in the amount of fluid surrounding your
brain. For example, there may be an increased amount of the cerebrospinal
fluid that naturally cushions your brain or an increase in blood in the brain
due to an injury or a ruptured tumor.
Increased ICP can also mean that your brain tissue itself is swelling, either
from injury or from an illness such as epilepsy. Increased ICP can be the
result of a brain injury, and it can also cause a brain injury.
Increased ICP is a life-threatening condition. A person showing symptoms
of increased ICP must get emergency medical help right away.
What are the symptoms of
increased ICP?
The signs of increased ICP include:

headache

nausea

vomiting

increased blood pressure

decreased mental abilities

confusion about time, and then location and people as the pressure
worsens

double vision

pupils that don’t respond to changes in light

shallow breathing

seizures

loss of consciousness

coma
These signs could indicate other serious conditions besides increased ICP,
such as a stroke, a brain tumor, or a recent head injury.
What are the causes and risk
factors for increased ICP?
A blow to the head is the most common cause of increased ICP. Other
possible causes of increased ICP include:

infections

tumors

stroke

aneurysm

epilepsy

seizures

hydrocephalus, which is an accumulation of spinal fluid in the brain
cavities

hypertensive brain injury, which is when uncontrolled high blood
pressure leads to bleeding in the brain

hypoxemia, which is a deficiency of oxygen in the blood

meningitis, which is inflammation of the protective membranes
around the brain and spinal cord
How is increased ICP
diagnosed?
Your doctor will need to know some important information about your
medical history right away. They will ask if you recently suffered a blow to
the head or if you have been diagnosed with a brain tumor. The doctor will
then begin a physical exam. They will check your blood pressure and see if
your pupils are dilating properly.
They may also measure the pressure of your cerebrospinal fluid using
a lumbar puncture, or spinal tap. Images of the brain from
a CT or MRI scan may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis.
What are the treatments for
increased ICP?
The most urgent goal of treatment is to reduce the pressure inside your
skull. The next goal is to address any underlying conditions.
Effective treatments to reduce pressure include draining the fluid through
a shunt via a small hole in the skull or through the spinal cord. The
medications mannitol and hypertonic saline can also lower pressure. They
work by removing fluids from your body. Because anxiety can make
increased ICP worse by raising your blood pressure, you may receive a
sedative as well.
Less common treatments for increased ICP include:

removing part of the skull

taking medicines to induce coma

deliberately chilling the body, or induced hypothermia