The laboratory reports of a client who underwent a hypophysectomy show an intracranial pressure (ICP) of 20 mmHg. Which action made by the client is responsible for this condition?

• A. Drinking lots of water
• B. Eating high-fiber foods
• C. Bending over at the waist
• D. Bending knees when lowering the body

Answer: (C)

Starting with how the body regulates pressure inside the skull helps explain why this particular action raises intracranial pressure. When a person performs a Valsalva-like maneuver—such as bending over at the waist—the chest and abdomen bear down, increasing intrathoracic and venous pressures. This slows venous drainage from the brain and raises the blood and CSF volume within the cranial vault, elevating ICP. After a hypophysectomy, the brain and surgical site are especially sensitive to rises in pressure, so actions that force a Valsalva-type response can contribute to increased ICP and potential complications.

Drinking a lot of water or eating high-fiber foods don’t acutely spike ICP in a typical post-op setting, and bending the knees when lowering the body reduces strain on the back and may lower, or at least not significantly raise, intrathoracic pressure compared with bending at the waist. Therefore, bending over at the waist is the action most likely to account for the elevated ICP in this scenario.