Primary bilateral pontine demyelination in a cat with similarity to central pontine myelinolysis.

Abstract

An adult cat was presented with the history of 3 months' weight loss and more recent loss of balance and ataxia. An abdominal mass was palpable; results of neurologic examination suggested a brainstem disorder. The owners elected euthanasia. Postmortem findings included suppurative jejunal lymphadenitis and bilateral demyelination in the ventral pons with sparing of axons and neuronal soma. The location and character of the lesion mimicked those of human central pontine myelinolysis, an iatrogenic condition that may follow rapid correction of hyponatremia or develop spontaneously in patients with malnutrition or energy deprivation. In this cat, the poor nutritional state may have contributed to the development of this novel pontine lesion.