Chapter 26: Acute oncology
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Raised intracranial pressure due to malignant disease
Definition
Intracranial pressure (ICP) is defined as the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid in the subarachnoid space (the space between the skull and the brain) (Allan [3]). In healthy adults, ICP is maintained nearly constant between 0 mmHg and 15 mmHg (Woodrow [310]). A level of ICP higher than 15 mmHg is considered abnormal and is defined as raised ICP, or intracranial hypertension (Woodrow [310]).
A space‐occupying lesion (SOL) is any abnormal tissue found on or in an organism, usually damaged by disease or trauma. A space‐occupying lesion of the brain (CNS SOL) is usually due to malignancy but it can be caused by other pathology such as an abscess or a haematoma.