Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Aug 2006
Multicenter StudyPositive effects of tertiary centres for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis on outcome and use of hospital facilities.
To evaluate the effects of tertiary centres for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on ALS outcome and the use of hospital facilities. ⋯ Improved survival was seen in patients with ALS attending tertiary ALS centres, independently from all other known prognostic factors, possibly through a better implementation of supportive treatments. Moreover, because of these centres, the hospitalisation rate was markedly reduced, thus offering a cost-effective service to patients with ALS and to the community as a whole.