Biomedical Research

Background: For over 200 years, researchers studied CSF pressure, yet there is limited knowledge on its influence on diseases and syndromes such as Post-Lumbar Puncture Headache (PLPH). In this study, a practical and cost-effective method was proposed to measure CSF pressure.

Methods: In this study, a prototype of a novel device to measure CSF pressure is presented. The device is composed of two parts: a drop sensor and a digital chronometer. The drop sensor is composed of an infrared receiver/transmitter where CSF drops are captured. CSF drop time intervals are calculated by the chronometer. Novel device was tested on a non-pulsatile CSF model filled with Ringer lactate using seven different types of spinal needles. A reference table was constructed from these measurements. The accuracy of the novel method was tested with a blind study. The reference table was used to predict the CSF pressure.

Results: The novel CSF pressure measurement method is non-inferior to the conventional spinal manometry with a slope range of 0.9704-1.011 within 95% confidence interval (p<0.0001).

Conclusion: The novel device can be used to measure CSF pressure as an alternative to the spinal manometer. Advanced models of the novel device can be developed with sophisticated and more detailed features such as spinal needle inner and outer diameters or brand types and reference tables can be uploaded to the software of the device.

Author(s): Ugur F, Yucel D
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