Intracranial Pressure and Mass Displacements of the Intracranial Contents

Abstract

The brain is completely surrounded by the bony skull and its closely adherent, tough, dural inner lining. This converts the enclosed space into a watertight chamber with the exception of the small, basally situated foramen magnum. In adults, these factors combine to prevent the skull from expanding. Consequently, the intracranial volume cannot fluctuate. In addition, the intracranial contents — blood, brain, and spinal fluid — are essentially noncompressible.