[Treatment with 10% glycerin in acute ischemic cerebral infarct. Doubleblind study]

56 patients with acute ischemic cerebral infarction were randomly allocated to intravenous treatment for 6 days with either 500 ml of a 10% glycerol solution or 500 ml of a 5% dextrose solution (placebo). The neurological status of the patients was evaluated by a blinded investigator before the beginning of the treatment, after 2 weeks and again after 6 months. According to the initial degree of neurological deficit, patients were stratified into a mild, intermediate and severe group (using a scoring system). After 2 weeks there was significantly less neurological deficit in the total glycerol-treated group than in the placebo group (2p less than 0.02). This favourable effect of glycerol was even greater in the patients with an initially intermediate degree of neurological deficity (2p less than 0.01). After 6 months there was no difference between the total glycerol-treated and the placebo group. A beneficial effect of glycerol treatment, however, was still demonstrable in the intermediate group (2p less than 0.05). Mortality was not influenced by glycerol treatment. No side effects of the glycerol treatment could be detected. Intravenous administration of 10% glycerol can thus be recommended in patients with acute cerebral infarction.