Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring is now a widely accepted tool in the management of patients with head injuries.^1,2 However, intracranial haemorrhage is a recognised as a possible complication following placement of an ICP device.^3,4 The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of haemorrhage after ICP monitor insertion through a thorough review of post-insertion computed tomography scans, and to classify them in a clinically relevant manner.

Materials and methods

Patients

Over 5 months, the Neurosurgery Service at Harborview Medical Center treated 314 patients with traumatic head injury. There were 247 males and 67 females with a median (SD) age of 35.16 (22.9) years (range 0.4 to 102 years), and all were admitted to the hospital. Placement of an ICP monitor (Camino™, intraparenchymal) was undertaken in 130 of these patients. We retrospectively analysed the patient’s hospital charts and all available radiological studies, with particular attention paid to our own interpretation of CT scans before and after ICP monitor insertion. The final numbers in the study were 101 males and 29 females with a median (SD) age of 36.6 (21.9) years (range 1.8 to 102 …