Neurologic clinics
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Decisions to withhold or terminate treatment are common clinical dilemmas in patients dying from diseases of the nervous system. Decision making for such patients must be based upon ethical principles. ⋯ Physicians have the duty to assess the potential benefits and harms of various treatment options and to clearly communicate this information to patients and their proxies in a supportive manner. The authors illustrate the application of ethical principles in neurologists' management of patients in persistent vegetative states, dementia, and end-stage neuromuscular disease.