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Asymptomatic pontine myelinolysis.

Razvi SS, Leach JP

Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, UK. s.razvi@clinmed.gla.ac.uk

A 43-year-old lady presented with bilateral foot drop due to alcohol-related peripheral neuropathy. There was no history of electrolyte disturbance or altered consciousness. Cranial nerve, bulbar and pyramidal symptoms and signs were absent. Nerve conduction studies confirmed the neuropathy. Inadvertently requested neuroimaging of brain demonstrated signal change typical of central pontine myelinolysis. Asymptomatic pontine myelinolysis occurs rarely in alcoholics in the absence of bulbar dysfunction. It is important for physicians to be aware of the clinical entity of asymptomatic pontine myelinolysis to avoid misinterpretation of abnormalities detected on cerebral imaging in alcoholic individuals.

Published 13 October 2006 in Eur J Neurol, 13(11): 1261-3.
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