Diagnostic review can involve several departments and tests
A specialist review may include neurology, neuroimmunology, neuroradiology, EEG and laboratory/CSF assessment. In suspected paraneoplastic disease, additional oncological imaging and specialist consultations may be required. Ask which external tests can be reviewed and which need repeating in Germany.
- Neurology / neuroimmunology consultation
- Serum and CSF neuronal-antibody panels
- CSF infectious and inflammatory analysis
- Brain MRI
- EEG or prolonged EEG
- Tumor screening tailored to antibody and syndrome
- Selected neuropsychological or rehabilitation assessment after stabilization
Acute encephalitis can become a high-resource inpatient episode
Seizures, reduced consciousness, severe agitation, autonomic instability or respiratory problems can require emergency admission, continuous monitoring or intensive care. Such an episode cannot be estimated from a routine outpatient consultation price. Unstable patients should receive immediate local care rather than travel for a planned quotation.
IVIG and apheresis create separate treatment costs
Heidelberg lists intravenous immunoglobulin and blood-wash/apheresis among stepwise immunotherapy options. IVIG cost depends on dose and course length, while apheresis can involve vascular access, repeated sessions, laboratory monitoring and inpatient or day-unit resources.
Tumor screening and cancer treatment may materially change the budget
Some antibody syndromes are closely associated with malignancy. If tumor screening is required, the cost plan can expand to PET/CT or other imaging, biopsy, oncology consultations and potentially surgery, radiotherapy or systemic cancer treatment. These should not be assumed to be included in a neurology quotation.
Long-term immunotherapy and monitoring are separate from acute rescue
Selected relapsing or high-risk antibody syndromes may require longer-term immunosuppression plus blood tests and infection monitoring. The patient should ask whether ongoing treatment can be transferred to a local neurologist after the German specialist plan is established.
Recovery can add rehabilitation and neuropsychological costs
After acute inflammation is controlled, patients may still have memory, behavioral, seizure, speech, mobility or daily-living impairment. Rehabilitation, neuropsychology, psychiatry, epilepsy follow-up and occupational or physical therapy may become separate care episodes depending on the residual deficits.
Send complete acute-care records before requesting an estimate
The center can distinguish a second-opinion case from a complex active-treatment case only when the prior hospital course is clear.
- Neurology, ICU and discharge reports
- Serum and CSF antibody results
- Complete CSF and infectious work-up
- MRI and EEG records
- Tumor-screening results
- Prior corticosteroid, IVIG and apheresis treatment
- Current immunotherapy and anti-seizure medication
- Current functional and cognitive status
- The purpose of the inquiry: diagnosis review, treatment escalation, maintenance planning or post-acute follow-up
Official sources
Last source-reviewed 2026-09-01. Cost procedures and published service fees can change, so confirm current terms directly with the provider before transferring money or booking travel.
- Autoimmune encephalitis – diagnosis and treatment — Heidelberg University Hospital ↗
- Neuroimmunology outpatient clinic — Heidelberg University Hospital ↗
- Encephalitis & paraneoplastic neurological disease — Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin ↗
- Inflammatory CNS diseases outpatient clinic — University Medical Center Freiburg ↗