A Precision Medicine Approach to Cerebral Edema and Intracranial Hypertension after Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Quo Vadis?

ABSTRACT:

Purpose of review

Standard clinical protocols for treating cerebral edema and intracranial hypertension after severe TBI have remained remarkably similar over decades. Cerebral edema and intracranial hypertension are treated interchangeably when in fact intracranial pressure (ICP) is a proxy for cerebral edema but also other processes such as extent of mass lesions, hydrocephalus, or cerebral blood volume. A complex interplay of multiple molecular mechanisms results in cerebral edema after severe TBI, and these are not measured or targeted by current clinically available tools. Addressing these underpinnings may be key to preventing or treating cerebral edema and improving outcome after severe TBI.

Recent findings

This review begins by outlining basic principles underlying t

SUBMITTER: Jha RM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6589108 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature