title: Dialysis disequilibrium syndrome presenting as a focal neurological deficit.
abstract: We report a patient suffering from chronic kidney disease who presented to us with severe pulmonary edema. His clinical, laboratory, and sonological parameters were suggestive of end-stage renal disease. Hemodialysis was initiated, and after 48 hours (3 sessions of hemodialysis) he became drowsy and a neurological examination revealed left upper limb monoplegia with left facial palsy. Urgent computerized tomography scan of the brain revealed diffuse hypodensity in the cerebral white matter bilaterally, and brain magnetic resonance imaging showed diffuse hyperintensity in the cerebral white matter bilaterally, right internal capsule and external capsule on fluid attenuated inversion recovery and T2 sequences (hypointense on T1 sequence). He made a gradual but complete neurological recovery and was discharged 2 weeks later with normal neurological status. A repeat brain magnetic resonance imaging on follow-up 6 weeks later revealed complete resolution of the white matter abnormalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Kasturba Medical Medical College, Manipal, Karnataka, India. aravindraprabhu@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ravindra Prabhu
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Attur
authors.forename: Ramprasad
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kandavar
authors.forename: Rajagopal
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kadavigere
authors.forename: Waqas Wahid
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Baig
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects*