Intracranial Pressure (ICP)

Intracranial pressure (ICP) is the pressure inside the skull and in the brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). If there is a tumor, head injury, brain bleeding, or swelling, the brain can become pressurized like a water balloon, and CSF has nowhere to go. The pressure can crush brain tissue, shift brain structures, contribute to hydrocephalus, cause brain herniation, and restrict blood supply to the brain. In Kiara’s case, elevated ICP caused optic atrophy (blindness due to damage to the optic nerves). ICP is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).