Course of intracranial pressure after extirpation of posterior fossa tumours.

Forty-seven patients with posterior fossa tumours underwent continuous monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP) in the early postoperative period by means of an intraventricular catheter. ICP values were very low on the day of operation and subsequently became normal in 37 patients. ICP values were raised in 10 patients. The relationship between the ICP and the clinical course was investigated. Patients were subdivided according to the clinical postoperative course into three groups: good, temporarily deteriorated, poor clinical course. The two first groups showed lower values in the ICP than he third one, nevertheless the relationship between the ICP and the postoperative clinical course is marked but not strict. Our data may have some clinical relevance for the treatment of hydrocephalus before extirpation of posterior fossa tumours.