Who should undergo intracranial pressure monitoring in acute liver failure?
A Concise Clinical Review
The hallmark of acute liver failure is hepatic encephalopathy, which often presents with the devastating complication of cerebral edema. Given the extremely high mortality rate associated with the development of cerebral edema, it is prudent to aggressively manage this pathology. One tool that is used to guide treatment of cerebral edema is an intracranial pressure monitor. This article will review the literature regarding the use of intracranial pressure monitors in acute liver failure in an effort to elucidate their utility in this setting.