[Central pontine myelinolysis--case report].

Central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) is a neurologic disorder, consists of demyelinisation without inflammation in the base of pons, with a relative sparing of the axons and the nerve cells. Clinical symptoms have various manifestations. They include pseudobalbular paralysis, tetraparesis, locked-in syndrome, coma. Rapid correction of persistence hyponatremia is a well recognized factor predisposing to CPM and nutritional deficiency is a commonly evoked cause of CMP as well. In more than half the cases it appeared in the late stages of chronic alcoholism. Among other medical conditions conjoined with CMP are liver failure and transplantation, electrolyte disturbances, cachexia from various causes, carcinoma, and severe bacterial infections. The autors report the cases of 31 year old patient with 4 year history of alkohol abuse in whom CPM developed with mild tetraparesis.