Central pontine myelinolysis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Central nervous system

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Central pontine myelinolysis

Alternative Names:

CPM

Symptoms:

Weakness in the face, arms, or legs, usually affecting both sides of the body
Muscle spasms in the face, arms, or legs
Double vision
Reduced vision
Confusion, delirium
Speech changes, poor enunciation
Difficulty swallowing
Reduced alertness, drowsy or sleepy, lethargic, poorly responsive

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

Signs and tests:

An examination may indicate involvement of all four arms and legs (spastic quadriplegia) or weakness of the face, arms, and legs (upper motor neuron syndromes). Reflexes may be abnormal. An eye examination may show loss of control of eye muscles, particularly cranial nerve VI paralysis (see cranial mononeuropathy VI).

A head MRI scan would reveal an abnormality in the brainstem (pons). This is the main diagnostic test.

Other tests may include:

Blood sodium levels and other blood tests
Brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA)

Review Date: 7/20/2004
Reviewed By: Joseph V. Campellone, M.D., Division of Neurology, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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