Symptoms & Signs
- Confusion, delirium
- Difficulty swallowing
- Double vision
- Muscle spasms in the face, arms, or legs
- Reduced alertness, drowsiness or sleepiness, lethargy, poor responses
- Reduced vision
- Speech changes, poor enunciation
- Weakness in the face, arms, or legs, usually affecting both sides of the body
Other possible symptoms include:
- Constipation
- Different size pupils in the eyes
- Hallucinations
- Hand tremor
- Uncontrollable eye movements
Diagnosis & Tests
An examination may show:
- Abnormal reflexes
- Cranial nerve VI paralysis (see cranial mononeuropathy VI)
- Involvement of all four arms and legs (spastic quadriplegia)
- Loss of eye muscle control
- Weakness of the face, arms, and legs (upper motor neuron syndromes)
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 auditory evoked response (BAER)
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Central pontine myelinolysis : Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
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Central pontine myelinolysis : Symptoms & Signs, Diagnosis & Tests
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Central pontine myelinolysis : Treatment
Review Date : 9/25/2008
Reviewed By : Daniel B. Hoch, PhD, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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