Controlled trial of glycerol versus dexamethasone in the treatment of cerebral oedema in acute cerebral infarction.

10 percent glycerol was given for 6 days to 30 patients who had had acute ischaemic cerebral infarction, and the results were compared with those obtained after treating 31 similar patients with dexamethasone (16 mg. per 24 hours for 6 days). 1 patient treated with glycerol died of haemoglobinuria and acute renal failure. 6 patients treated with dexamethasone died--3 from cerebral oedema and 3 from non-neurological complications (pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, and aspiration pneumonia). Improvement was significantly greater in the glycerol group after 8 and 15 days. No improvement was noted using either glycerol or dexamethasone in 7 patients with spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage.