Although the hydrocephalic H-Tx rat is a widely used model, data on the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics in hydrocephalic rats are rare or - as the pressure volume index (PVI) - not available. We used hydrocephalic and nonhydrocephalic H-Tx rats, a stock with a high percentage of inherited hydrocephalus, for the evaluation of such data. In addition, a new, simple mathematical algorithm ("dynamic infusion test"), which has not formerly been used in animal experiments, was used as a pathophysiological model of CSF dynamics. Compared with classical methods for evaluation of these data, the dynamic infusion test gives a deeper insight into the relation between ICP and CSF dynamics. It was found that the resistance to outflow (ROF) in hydrocephalic rats was at least twice that in nonhydrocephalic rats. The PVI measured was similar in hydrocephalic and nonhydrocephalic animals, but clearly higher than the values reported in the literature. This may be attributable to the fact that the classically used bolus test, in contrast to the "dynamic infusion test", is representative only for the CSF compartment which is directly exposed to the bolus application.