UMEM Educational Pearls

Title: Patient has this CT Head - What is your diagnosis?

Keywords: cyanide, carbon monoxide, methanol, hypoglycemia (PubMed Search)

Posted: 2/26/2015 by Fermin Barrueto, MD
Click here to contact Fermin Barrueto, MD

Question

Patient has the following Head CT, what is your differential diagnosis? There are only a few characteristic toxins that can cause this type of finding on CT.

Answer

Bilateral Basal Ganglia Infarcts think:

Cyanide

Carbon Monoxide

Hypoglycemia

Methanol

Hypoxia and Uncouplers of Oxidative Phsophorylation can cause this