Neuromonitoring in neurological critical care

In this article, we review technologies available for direct monitoring of cerebral oxygenation and metabolic status, including jugular venous oxygen saturation, brain tissue oxygen tension, transcranial cerebral oximetry with near-infrared spectroscopy, Positron emission tomography oxidative metabolism, single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography perfusion and functional imaging, and cerebral metabolite measurement using microdialysis. We also introduce a novel method of monitoring cerebral perfusion that may substitute for direct monitoring of oxygenation in the future.