EFFECT OF AMILORIDE AND EMOPAMIL ON INTRACRANIAL-PRESSURE

The authors sought to determine whether amiloride or emopamil could re duce intracranial pressure in experimental brain edema of the rat. For this purpose the rats were functionally nephrectomized and brain edem a of the cytotoxic type induced by infusion of 100 ml aqua bidest/kg b ody weight. After the end of the infusion 10 or 20 ml 2 mM amiloride/k g body weight or 50 mu l 1 mM (s)-emopamil/kg body weight in 10 ml 150 mM NaCl/kg body weight or 10 mi isotonic saline/kg body weight were i njected followed by continued recording of intracranial pressure (ICP) and systemic arterial pressure for at least 3 hours. The values of th e ICP for the amiloride and s-emopamil treated animals are significant ly (p<0.05, Student's t-test for unpaired data) lower at any point aft er the injection of amiloride or (s)-emopamil. Amiloride and (s)-emopa mil prevent the rise in ICP seen after the saline injection in the con trol group.