Patent ID: 8066681

Claim:
An intracranial pressure monitoring catheter device which is insertable into the cranium of a mammal through a bore hole of the cranium comprising: an elongate, tubular flexible catheter body having a proximal end, a distal end, and an outer sidewall; a pressure transmitting component for receiving the pressure at the distal end of said catheter body and for transmitting an indication of said pressure through said catheter body to the proximal end thereof; a connector on the proximal end of said catheter body for connecting said pressure transmitting component to an extracorporeal pressure monitoring device; a stylet insertion aperture formed in the side wall of the catheter body near the distal end of the catheter body, a distal portion of the catheter body being thus defined between the stylet insertion aperture and the catheter body distal end; and a stylet lumen extending between the stylet insertion aperture and the distal end of the catheter body, the stylet lumen being closed at the distal end of the catheter body; said catheter device being thereby configured such that a rigid stylet may be inserted through said stylet insertion aperture and advanced in the distal direction through said stylet receiving lumen to the closed distal end thereof to impart stiffness to only the distal portion of the catheter body, the catheter device being adapted to be fed through a scalp tunnel formed between two scalp incisions, one of the scalp incisions being coincident with the bore hole in the cranium, the catheter body being sized so that it may extend through the scalp tunnel with the proximal and distal ends of the catheter body extending out of respective ones of said scalp incisions, the distal portion being sized so that it can be pulled up and away from the bore hole and the stylet inserted into the stylet insertion aperture to impart stiffness to the distal portion and thereby facilitate insertion through the bore hole; wherein said stylet insertion aperture is formed in said sidewall at a location approximately four (4) inches from the distal end of said catheter body.