Brain elasticity changes with ventriculomegaly

The pressure-volume relationship of brain elasticity was determined in 32 patients during servo-controlled variable-rate lumbar infusions to measure net cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) absorptive capacity. Several indices were used to estimate ventricular size from computerized tomography scans. The results show a linear relationship between ventricular size and the elasticity slope which relates the natural logarithm of pressure to volume. It follows that a hydrocephalic patient should show a greater intracranial pulse amplitude at a given pressure than does a patient with normal-sized ventricles. Although these elasticity changes may simply be the result of the ventriculomegaly, it seems possible that the pressure-volume elasticity relationship may be of etiological importance in disorders of the CSF system.