This study includes 40 consecutive cases of penetrating and non-penetrating head injury with an admission Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 or less treated in our department between 1993 and 1996. The patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 cases were treated without ICP monitoring and analysed retrospectively. Group 2 patients were treated with ICP monitoring and analysed prospectively. According to the results, ICP monitoring emerged as a useful technique in the assessment and management of patients with severe head injmy. The effect of ICP monitoring on prognosis was statistically significant.