Patient-Controlled Intracranial Pressure for Managing Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension

Abstract

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension is a difficult condition to manage. We present a novel treatment that substantially improved the headaches and reduced admissions and shunt revision surgery in a patient. We inserted a ventriculoperitoneal shunt, performed subtemporal craniectomies, and instructed our patient to apply different sized headbands to allow her to anticipate and control her own intracranial pressure: a tight headband for low-pressure headaches; no band for high-pressure headaches. Magnetic resonance imaging and intracranial pressure monitoring revealed this was not a placebo effect.

Keywords

benign intracranial hypertension - decompressive craniectomy - ventriculoperitoneal shunt

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