Hypothermia in Neurosurgery

1. Mild hypothermia has been used for treatment of TBI, stroke, hepatic encephalopathy, and MI by inhibiting a complex cascade of processes at the cellular level after a period of ischemia.
2. Mild hypothermia is effective for postischemic injury after global anoxia and for lowering the intracranial pressure in various types of brain injury. More studies are needed to further define its role for TBI, ischemic stroke, and repair of thoracoabdominal aneurysms.