Methanol poisoning: A clinical and pathological study

Abstract

We report 2 survivors of severe methanol poisoning who developed, apart from blindness, a Parkinson-like extrapyramidal syndrome characterized by reduced initiative, poor voice volume, masked facies, mild tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia. Both patients were mildly demented and 1 had hyperreflexia and bilateral Babinski responses. Computed tomographic scans in both patients demonstrated bilateral symmetrical infarction of the frontocentral white matter and putamen. Electromyography in 1 patient showed extensive denervation, mainly involving the legs, but normal motor conduction velocities. L-Dopa administered to the more severely affected patient had no effect on the parkinsonian features. Autopsy revealed cystic resorption of the putamen and the frontocentral subcortical white matter in additon to widespread neuronal damage throughout the cerebrum, cerebellum, brainstem, and spinal cord.

Bilateral putaminal hemorrhage related to methanol poisoning: a complication of hemodialysis? Case report

“…First, even though the acute assessment showed very high blood methanol levels, the final outcome was relatively benign, except for the visual impairment. While extrapyramidal signs are among the most frequent sequelae of methanol poisoning 5 and, as a general rule do not improve over time 3,7 ", the present case was free of such neurologic complication. Apraxia has also been reported in relation to methanol intoxication 6 , but it was not found in the present case either.…”

“…In fact, direct ocular toxicity has been previously reported in such cases 4 . Alternatively, there seems to be a belief that putaminal neurons are particularly more vulnerable to methanol than other areas of the nervous system 5 . Early hypodense changes on CT scan may, indeed, represent putaminal edema and/or ischemia, with possible disruption of the blood-brain barrier.…”

Comparison of capillary electrophoresis and high performance liquid chromatography methods for caffeine determination in decaffeinated coffee

“…According to the Brazilian regulations, neutralization was the only requirement for the disposal of the solutions used by the CE (non-toxic solutions) (ASSOCIAÇÃO..., 2004;AGÊNCIA..., 2004;CONSELHO..., 2005). Conversely, the residues generated by HPLC require specific handling because under prolonged exposition, they can be harmful to health (McLEAN;JACOBS;MIELKE, 1980;FINKELSTEIN;VARDI, 2002;ASSOCIAÇÃO..., 2004). Moreover, the residues containing methanol are toxic, requiring special treatment including controlled incineration, which increases human resource costs associated with proper disposal and also requires more physical space for storage in the laboratory, thus increasing the costs associated with the analysis and the impact to the environment.…”

Methanol Intoxication: Differential Diagnosis from Anion Gap-increased Acidosis

“…The sign is extrapyramidal motor dysfunction including rigidity, tremors, masked face and monotonous speech. In the cases with putaminal necrosis, the concentration of formic acid in the putamen is higher than in other areas of brain (8). Fontenot et al (7) explain that putamen might be the most sensitive to an acidic environment in the brain.…”