Medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF)-syndrome in a multimorbid patient with alcohol use disorder: a case report

Patients with multiple comorbidities can present as a diagnostic challenge as overlapping symptomatology complicates the discovery of emergent pathology. Symptoms of alcohol misuse or orthostatic hypotension may especially cloud the diagnosis of insidious neurological disease, such as posterior circulation infarct. With a growing elderly population, it is expected that the complex multimorbid patient will represent a growing challenge to prompt stroke detection and treatment.

Herein, we present a 69-year-old male with a history of alcohol abuse, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, and congestive heart disease. The patient arrived at our emergency department with dizziness, ataxia, and diplopia. His symptoms had a sudden onset and gradual exacerbation over a span of 2 days, notably aggravated by standing and walking, but relieved when seated or supine. Notably, a month before admission, the patient had been treated with anti-congestive medications for severe congestive heart failure leading to a weight loss of 55 lbs over period of 2 weeks. The initial differential diagnoses were orthostatism, Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE), and ischemic stroke. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a subacute infarct in the medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF).

The case underscores the challenge in diagnosing neurological conditions in multimorbid individuals. The combination of various underlying conditions may drastically complicate the diagnosis. Successful diagnosis and treatment necessitates meticulous evaluation of clinical observations, medical history, current medications, and pertinent diagnostic evaluations to effectively narrow down the potential differential diagnoses.