Asymptomatic pontine and extra-pontine lesions in a patient with end-stage renal disease

Abstract

Osmotic demyelination syndrome leading to central pontine/extra-pontine myelinolysis (CPM/EPM) occurs mainly in patients with history of alcohol abuse, malnourishment, following liver transplantation and less commonly, in association with other systemic diseases. Asymptomatic CPM/EPM is rare. Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who develop CPM/EPM are usually symptomatic with florid neurologic manifestations. Herein, we present a patient with ESRD on maintenance hemodialysis who was incidentally detected to have pontine and extra-pontine lesions suggestive of myelinolysis without any neurologic signs or symptoms.