Intracranial pressure monitoring in Reye's syndrome.

Reye's syndrome is difined as fatty degeneration of the viscera with encephalopathy. The signs are change in consciousness after recovery of a viral illness, vomiting, high fever, and progresseve deterioration of the level of consciousness. Signs of brain stem involvement quickly follow. The clinical findings are: mild elevations of serum transaminases (SGOT and SGPT), normal to slightly elevated bilirubin, abnormal blood-clotting functions, normal to low blood glucose, high blood ammonia, and normal cerebrospinal fluid which may be under increased pressure. Death is due to increased intracranial pressure. Therapy is used to stabilize these signs. It includes: infusion of hypertonic glucose followed by insulin, peritoneal dialysis, and exchange transfusion. Intracranial pressure was monitored continually to determine when therapy should be administered.