[Does anesthesia harm children's brain?].

Animal data, that could show a correlation between anesthetic exposure and longterm damage to the developing brain, have raised concern within the international anesthesiology community, but also in patients, parents and media. The evaluation of the available literature does not provide evidence for changes in routine anesthetic practice associated with the order, to establish evidence through increased basic and clinical research about the mechanisms and possible effects in humans. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York.