Relationship of acute CBF and ICP findings to neuropsychological outcome in severe head injury

Neuropsychological outcome within 1 year after severe head injury was examined in 42 conscious survivors and correlated with acute measurements of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and intracranial pressure (ICP). During acute coma, CBF was elevated in 23 patients, indicating hyperemia, and was reduced in the remaining 19 cases. Intracranial hypertension (ICP 20 mm Hg or greater) was present acutely in 15 patients and absent in 27. Occurrences of hyperemia and intracranial hypertension were significantly related. During chronic recovery, neuropsychological dysfunction was found in all cases. However, patients with hyperemia revealed greater impairment of overall intellectual and memory functions than did those with reduced flow, while patients with intracranial hypertension showed greater memory deficit than did those without ICP elevations. The results suggest that early pathophysiological events can influence subsequent neuropsychological outcome, and that chronic recovery is not homogeneous in young severely head-injured adults.