Osmotic demyelination syndrome with a dysequilibrium syndrome: reversible MRI findings

Abstract Neurological disorders may be seen in end-stage renal disease patients due to uraemia or to complications of dialysis. A dysequilibrium syndrome may be seen, usually soon after or towards the end of haemodialysis. This group of patients has no particular findings on MRI. On the other hand, the osmotic demyelination syndrome has definitive MRI findings, not to date reported with the dysequilibrium syndrome. We report a patient with end-stage renal disease and the dysequilibrium syndrome who showed findings of osmotic demyelination on MRI. The patient had a convulsion after a first haemodialysis, with quadriparesis and hyperactive deep tendon reflexes and bilateral Babinski signs. The upper motor neurone signs lasted for a week. Meanwhile, he was also dysarthric and had dysphagia. He recovered neurologically without any residuum following appropriate treatment and there was improvement on MRI. Received: 25 March 1997 Accepted: 17 September 1997