A demyelinating condition affecting the pons and characterized clinically by an acute progressive quadriplegia; dysarthria; dysphagia; and alterations of consciousness. pathologic features include prominent demyelination in the central pons with sparing of axons and neurons. this condition is usually associated with systemic disorders such as hyponatremia; chronic alcoholism; liver failure; severe burns; malignant neoplasms; hemorrhagic pancreatitis; hemodialysis; and sepsis. the rapid medical correction of hyponatremia has been cited as a cause of this condition. (from adams et al., principles of neurology, 6th ed, pp1125-6)

Central pontine myelinolysis is a neurological condition involving severe damage to the myelin sheath of nerve cells in the pons (an area of the brainstem). It is predominately iatrogenic (treatment-induced), and is characterized by acute paralysis, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), dysarthria (difficulty speaking), and other neurological symptoms. Central pontine myelinolysis was first described as a disorder in 1959...