Intraoperative monitoring of intracranial pressure in five dogs with space-occupying intracranial lesions.

Five dogs with space-occupying intracranial lesions underwent lateral craniectomy. Brain tissue pressures, reflective of intracranial pressure, were monitored during the surgical procedure, using a fiberoptic intracranial pressure monitoring system. The intracranial pressure monitoring cable was placed superficially in brain parenchyma on the side contralateral to the primary lesion. Recordings were made continually throughout the surgical procedure. Each dog was treated preoperatively with mannitol, which caused a decrease in intracranial pressure prior to craniectomy in only those dogs that initially had high intracranial pressure. Complications associated with use of the fiberoptic intracranial monitoring system were not evident. Although absolute values for pressure varied, pressure trends were helpful in determining effects of surgical manipulations on intracranial pressure in these dogs.