German-Austrian Space Occupying Cerebellar Infarction Study (GASCIS): study design, methods, patient characteristics. The Steering and Protocol Commission.

An open prospective multicentric therapeutic trial to determine the timing and type of therapeutic intervention in patients presenting with secondary deterioration following cerebellar stroke is described. According to the results of retrospective studies a controlled approach comparing different therapies is ethically not feasible. Participants use the same scores and protocol for patient data collection but many choose different therapeutic procedures.