October 14, 2025, SEOUL/LONDON — At the World Congress of Neurology (WCN), Prof. Charlotte Cordonnier, Professor of Neurology in the Lille University Hospital, France urged the global neurology community to carry forward the lessons of the ischemic stroke revolution and apply them to one of medicine’s most urgent frontiers: intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).
“Over the past 30 years, our understanding of time, teamwork, and imaging transformed ischemic stroke from a fatal event to a treatable emergency,” she said. “Now it’s time to bring that same focus, innovation, and collaboration to hemorrhagic stroke — where mortality remains unacceptably high and progress has lagged behind.”
Prof. Cordonnier outlined a three-step strategy for the future of ICH care: prevent hematoma expansion, promote hematoma evacuation, and counter neuroinflammatory response. She emphasized that success will come not from isolated interventions, but from integrated, time-sensitive care models that combine imaging, neurointensive medicine, pharmacologic innovation, and personalized targets for blood pressure and organ function.
Her vision calls for a new generation of data-driven stroke units, where imaging and biomarkers work in tandem to guide individualized treatment decisions. “We must look beyond the vessel and focus on the blood content and its toxicity,” she explained. “Understanding how blood interacts with brain tissue — and how to reverse those effects — is the next great leap.”
Beyond acute care, Prof. Cordonnier highlighted the importance of prevention and long-term brain health, noting that small vessel disease burden strongly predicts both functional and cognitive decline among stroke survivors. “Prevention doesn’t end at the hospital,” she said. “It begins with promoting brain health across the lifespan and reducing small-vessel damage before the first event ever occurs.”
“We’re in an evolution that connects everything we’ve learned from ischemic stroke to a new era of care for hemorrhagic stroke. Together, through science, precision, and collaboration, we can change the story for these patients.”
Her remarks reflected a defining message of this year’s Congress: that neurology’s greatest breakthroughs arise not from isolated discoveries, but from collective evolution — translating decades of insight into new standards of care that extend and improve lives worldwide.
About the World Congress of Neurology
The World Federation of Neurology’s World Congress of Neurology brings together leading neuroscientists and public health experts to turn research into action and emphasize the importance of brain health across the globe. The 27th biennial conference was held in Seoul, South Korea from October 12 to 15, 2025, and was co-hosted by the Korean Neurological Association (KNA).
About the World Federation of Neurology
With support from its 126 Member Societies, the World Federation of Neurology fosters quality neurology and brain health worldwide by promoting neurological education and training, emphasizing under-resourced areas of the world. As a non-state actor in official relations, WFN supports the World Health Organization (WHO) efforts to give everyone an equal chance to live a healthy life. With Member Societies around the globe, WFN unites the world’s neurologists to ensure quality neurology and advocate for people to have better brain health. Learn more about the World Federation of Neurology at wfneurology.org.
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