OBJECTIVE: to review the current therapeutic approach of intracranial hypertension in pediatric patients admitted to intensive care unit. SOURCES OF DATA: bibliographic review of the subject based on Medline. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS: the authors noticed that some measures to control intracranial hypertension are consensual, and others remain controversial. CONCLUSIONS: the goals of management of pediatric patients with intracranial hypertension include: normalizing the intracranial pressure, optimizing cerebral blood flow and cerebral perfusion pressure, preventing second insults that exacerbate secondary injury, and avoiding complications associated with the various treatment modalities employed.
intracranial hypertension in children; intracranial trauma
