Effect of acetazolamide on CSF pressure and electrolytes in hydrocephalus

Abstract

High doses of acetazolamide were very effective in lowering the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) pressure of hydrocephalics. The choroid plexus (cat)was richly supplied with carbonic anhydrase. It is suggested that the drug may reduce the rate of formation of CSF by decreasing the rate of transfer of bicarbonate ions from plasma to fluid across this tissue membrane, thus decreasing the rate at which water enters isosmotically. The bicarbonate gradient is not changed in such a way as to promote the drop in CSF pressure. Distribution ratios of Na, K, and Cl between spinal fluid and plasma were not affected by the drug.