Background Clinical reports on brain tissue oxygen tension differ in suggested threshold values for defining cerebral ischemia using the Licox and Neurotrend/Paratrend system. We evaluated in vitro performance of both first and second generation devices. Materials and methods Response rate and accuracy in solutions with oxygen tensions from 0 to 150 mm Hg were measured. Findings Ninety-five percent Response times were 102±13 seconds for first generation Licox probes and 135±24 s for Paratrend (n=6, each probe), with second generation probes at 134±4 and 116±16 s respectively. At pO 2 150 mmHg Licox and Paratrend probes were accurate with 2.2% and 2.1% error, respectively and 2.6% and 4.1% for later generation. At pO 2 18 mmHg, Paratrend overestimated by 16.5% (absolute error range 2.18 to 4.18 mmHg), 7.4% for Neurotrend, Licox underestimated by 1.8% (absolute error range 0.08 to 0.52 mmHg) with 3.6% for the second generation probe. Conclusions Differences between the first generation probe types, while statistically significant (p<0.001), may not be clinically relevant. Overestimation of pO 2 by Neurotrend and small underestimation by Licox partially explain differences in published thresholds for cerebral ischemia. The Neurotrend was slightly more accurate and faster than the Paratrend system.

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doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-85578-2-39, hdl.handle.net/1765/57284
Department of Neurosurgery

Haitsma, I., Rosenthal, G., Morabito, D., Rollins, S. M., Maas, A., & Manley, G. (2008). In vitro comparison of two generations of Licox and Neurotrend catheters. doi:10.1007/978-3-211-85578-2-39