[Clinical study of 14 patients with pontine hemorrhage]

To characterize the clinical features, etiology and prognosis of pontine hemorrhages (PH).

Descriptive study of 14 patients with PH included in the Sagrat Cor Hospital of Barcelona Stroke Registry over a 19-year period. The vascular risk factors and clinical profiles in PH and subcortical hemorrhage group (n = 133) were compared.

PH accounted for 0.36% of all acute strokes (n = 3,808) and 3.4% of all intracerebral hemorrhages. Hypertension was present in 78.6%, diabetes mellitus in 21.4% and hyperlipidemia in 21.4%. Pure motor hemiparesis was present in 2 patients (14.3%). The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 50%. Dizziness (odds ratio = 27.38; 95% confidence interval, 2.43-218.7) and cranial nerve palsy (odds ratio = 26.28; 95% confidence interval, 5.84-118.17) were independent predictors related to PH.

Hemorrhagic pontine stroke is infrequent, presents a high in-hospital mortality and clinical profiles were identified in PH versus subcortical hemorrhages.