Intracerebral microdialysis in children

Cerebral microdialysis is a relatively new, minimally invasive technique that permits sampling and analyzing the chemical constituents of the extracellular fluid. Although mainly used as a research tool, it is also used in the neurointensive care, in combination with other monitoring methods, in patients with severe traumatic brain injury and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Its main clinical utility is the identification of markers of ischemia and cell damage with the ultimate goal of preventing any secondary insults to the brain by instituting early appropriate treatment measures. With few exceptions, all the available data on intracerebral microdialysis in humans comes from studies performed in adults. The purpose of this report is to provide a brief review of the intracerebral microdialysis studies performed in children. Differences in trends of concentrations of structural and excitatory amino acids have been identified in children, in comparison to those observed in adults, the significance of which remains unknown at present.