US Patent 7025739 System and method for treating elevated intracranial pressure

Methods and systems for lowering elevated intracranial pressure utilizing a fluid drainage controller which regulates the drainage of cerebral spinal fluid based on a cardiac or other transient component of the patient's intracranial pressure. The cardiac component of the intracranial pressure increases as the accumulation of cerebral spinal fluid in the patient's subarachnoid space increases, but is not directly a function of the absolute mean or baseline intracranial pressure. Thus, control based on the cardiac component is relatively independent of patient position and the risk of over or under draining the cerebral spinal fluid is lessened.