Invasive monitoring of cerebral oxygenation

Despite medical and technological advances in neurosurgical intensive care, severe traumatic brain injury still carries a poor prognosis. Invasive monitoring of cerebral oxygenation has recently been proposed as a means for the detection and prevention of cerebral ischemia in comatose patients; however, it has not proven to influence the patient’s outcome after severe brain injury. Eight recent reports selected from the literature are reviewed, and the authors’ own clinical experience is presented in order to define the indications, usefulness, limitations, and potential complications of the available methodology for the invasive monitoring of cerebral interstitial oxygen saturation.