Using routine data for quality assessment in NeuroNet telestroke care.

Background: Systematic clinical trials are often unavailable to evaluate and optimize operational telestroke networks. In a complementary approach, readily available routine clinical data were analyzed in this study to evaluate the effect of a telestroke network over a 4-year period.

Methods: Routine clinical data from the HELIOS hospital information system were compared before and after implementation of the NeuroNet concept, including neurologic acute stroke teleconsultations, standard operating procedures, and peer review quality management in 3 hospital cohorts: 5 comprehensive stroke centers, 5 NeuroNet hospitals, and 5 matched control hospitals.

[Off-label use of acetazolamide in a patient with familial hemiplegic migraine and concomitant psychotic episodes].

A 42-year-old patient with cognitive deficits due to childhood meningitis suffered from recurrent episodes of familial hemiplegic migraine. Additionally, he developed concomitant psychotic episodes requiring subsequent in-patient psychiatric treatment. Following combined neurological and psychiatric treatment he always recovered from the episodes within a few weeks time.