Cerebral perfusion pressure and spect in patients after craniocerebral injury with transtentorial herniation.

We present a group of 29 consecutive head injured comatose patients with the syndrome of transtentorial herniation. All patients had urgent surgery and then continuous monitoring of ICP, CPP, blood pressure and jugular bulb oximetry was instituted. Two postoperative CT and SPECT examinations were performed in each patient. 15 patients had a normal CPP (> 70 mmHg) throughout the postoperative period, 80% of them had a favourable outcome. On the other hand 14 patients had decreased CPP lasting at least one hour and only 36% of them had a favourable outcome (p < 0.05). Similar relationships were found comparing GOS in patients with normal and increased ICP (> 20 mmHg) and normal and decreased SjO2 (< 55%). All but 3 patients had ischaemia on SPECT. Ischaemia improved on the 2nd SPECT in 11 patients and 10 (91%) of them had a favourable outcome. GOS (mean follow up 9 months) is: 12 patients good, 5 moderately disabled, 2 vegetative, 10 died. We conclude that SPECT is able to disclose even reversible ischaemic changes. In these patients all effort has to be made to keep CPP on normal levels. Improvement in cerebral perfusion is related to a better outcome.