CSF pressure assessed by lumbar puncture agrees with intracranial pressure.

The accuracy of estimating intracranial pressure in brain tissue (ICP(BT)) via lumbar space was investigated using preset pressure levels in the interval 0 to 600 mm H(2)O in patients with communicating hydrocephalus. Lumbar space ICP correlated excellently to ICP(BT), demonstrated by a measured mean difference of 10 mm H(2)O (0.75 mm Hg) and a regression coefficient of 0.98. The concurrence supports the lumbar puncture as an accurate technique to determine ICP in patients with communicating CSF systems.