The Clinical Cooperative Trial. Guide to a critical approach.

The growing difference with regard to academic and professional accountability between neurosurgeons and neuroscience is alarming. Controlled clinical trials continue to be the most scientifically valid method of evaluating standard treatments against the risks and benefits of medical innovations. Clinical research becomes more rewarding as neurosurgeons gain familiarity with the particulars of the structure and relevance of expertly designed clinical cooperative trials. The basic principles and the significance of biometrical essentials (research hypothesis, comparability, randomized and non-randomized trials, phases of studies and planning steps) are briefly discussed. A guide to the pertinent literature is provided.