Central pontine myelinolysis in childhood and adolescence

Abstract

Central pontine myelinolysis, a pathological entity characterized by demyelinization in the central part of the basis pontis, may be a less uncommon disorder in childhood and adolescence than has been thought. 4 new cases, ranging in age from 3 to 15 years, are added to the 11 already reported. All of the cases in children had chronic debilitating illnesses. Diagnosis of the pontine lesion is rarely made during life because the disease is localized in a functionally silent area. One suggestive clinical feature is some alteration in the state of consciousness. A variety of causative factors have been implicated, malnutrition, alcoholism, fluid and electrolyte imbalance, vascular disease, drugs, and hepatic dysfunction, but the pathogenesis remains unknown.