Carolina Ferreira Colaço
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André Eduardo de Almeida Franzoi
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Amanda Maieski
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Talita Aparecida Conte
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Luís Eduardo de Macedo Zubko
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Context: Osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS) is rare, acute, severe and non-inflammatory. It is caused by the demyelination of neurons with the preservation of axons. It is called central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) when it affects the central pontine region and extra-pontine myelinolysis (EPM) when it affects other areas. Few cases of ODS due to non-electrolytic causes are reported. Case report: 54-year-old man with a history of heavy drinking. After about 24 hours of alcohol withdrawal, he developed generalized tonic-clonic seizures, associated with a lower level of consciousness. Protective orotracheal intubation was performed and the use of anti-crisis drugs was initiated. After sedation was switched off and mechanical ventilation was set to minimum parameters, the patient remained comatose and with convergence-retraction nystagmus movements. A skull MRI was performed, which showed lesions compatible with CPM and EPM. There was no variation in the patient’s plasma sodium during hospitalization. Conclusion: this is a patient with no evidence of any significant hydro-electrolyte disturbance and who presented a compatible neurological condition and neuroimaging characteristic of CPM / EPM. There is no specific clinical treatment for this pathology. Furthermore, the patient presents with the finding of convergence-retraction nystagmus, possibly explained by atrophy of the dorsal midbrain region.
Central Pontine Myelinolysis after Liver Transplantation: is Sodium the Only Villain? Case Report
