Innovative intensive care treatment of patients with neurological disorders

Innovations of the last two years STICH I led to a reduction,of early neurosurgery in patients with intracerebral haemorrhage The purpose of STICH II is to evaluate the role of early surgery in superficial lobar haematomas In CONSCIOUS I Clazosentan an intravenous endothelin receptor antagonist, significantly prevented the occurrence of cerebral vasospasms following a SAH Currently it is being investigated in a phase III study fMRI studies demonstrated cortical and subcortical activation to tactile or auditive stimuli in vegetative patients Deep brain stimulation of the reticular formation may lead to a clinical improvement of those patients Despite compel ling data demonstrated that the use of induced hypothermia can improve survival and neurological recovery after cardiac arrest this treatment option is underused in physician practice Antibody mediated paraneoplastic juvenile non herpetic encephalitis represents a new differential diagnosis to severe viral en cephalitis Anti GQ1b antibody syndrome comprises a wide range of diseases There exists also a novel variant with isolated acute ophthalmoplegia without ataxia or areflexia