Symptoms:

Infants:

• Drowsiness
• Separated sutures
• Soft spot on top of the head (bulging fontanelle)
• Vomiting

• Behavior changes
• Headache
• Progressive decreased consciousness, lethargy
• Neurologic problems
• Seizures
• Vomiting

Signs and tests:

A health care provider will usually make this diagnosis at the patient's bedside in an emergency room or hospital. Primary care doctors may sometimes spot early symptoms of raised intracranial pressure, such as headache, seizures, or neurologic problems.

An MRI or CT scan can often determine the cause and confirm the diagnosis.

Intracranial pressure may be measured during a spinal tap (lumbar puncture). It can also be measured directly by using a device that is drilled through the skull or a tube (catheter) that is inserted inside the brain.