Osmotherapy: Definition from Answers.com

Osmotherapy is a medical treatment, using intravenous injection or oral administration of an agent to induce dehydration. The goal of dehydration is to reduce the amount of accumulated fluid in the brain.^[1] The earliest description in medical literature dates back to 1919.^[2]

Contents

Etymology

The word comes from combining the words osmosis, and therapy.

Osmotherapy can be used to treat cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral edema. This can include the use of mannitol to maintain the brain's homeostasis.^[3]

^ Medical dictionary
^ Wolf AL, Levi L, Marmarou A, Ward JD, Muizelaar PJ, Choi S, et al: Effect of THAM upon outcome in severe head injury: a randomized prospective clinical trial. J Neurosurg 78:54–59, 1993
^ Medical Management of Cerebral Edema: Osmotherapy Use

This medical treatment-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

		Saunders Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Osmotherapy. Read more