Persistent vegetative state: an ethical reappraisal.

New knowledge from scientific research on vegetative state (VS) and its consequences in clinical practice are reviewed. The ambiguity of the concept of consciousness and the difficult issue of its moral significance are then examined. The Authors stress the need for longitudinal prognostic studies, the promotion of an expert widespread use of standardized behavioural scales, and recommend that the ethical debate about VS rely upon the widest consensus of the scientific community.