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Updated: Oct 5, 2025
Massive Pontine Hemorrhage by Dual Injection of Autologous Blood
Published on: May 29, 2021
Bilateral Hypertrophic Olivary Degeneration after Pontine Hemorrhage: A Case Report
Bo Zheng1, Jian Wang2, Xue-Qiong Huang3
1Department of Neurology, Yaan People's Hospital, Yaan 625000, Sichuan Province, China.
Background:
Hemorrhage lesions may lead to bilateral hypertrophic olivary degeneration (HOD) through interruption of the dentato-rubral-olivary pathway. The pathological features of HOD are unusual neuronal trans-synaptic degenerative changes.
Case Summary:
A 56-year-old female was admitted to our hospital because her lower extremities and left upper ones were unable to move for 3 mo, and the swelling of her right lower extremities became worse 3 days ago. She had a hypertension history. Her characteristic clinical manifestations are palatal myoclonus and nystagmus. The patient's magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results showed that she had bilateral HOD after an acute pontine hemorrhage. She was given symptomatic and supportive treatment. The gabapentin, the memantine and the trihexyphenidyl were taken twice a day each. The rehabilitation and psychotherapy were implemented. After 3 months of treatment, her eye symptoms improved.
Conclusion:
Bilateral HOD is a rare phenomenon after pontine hemorrhage. The key to diagnosis lies in the clinical manifestations and MRI results.
