Central pontine myelinolysis following saline treatment of a diabetic rat for dehydration

Central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) was observed at necropsy in an emaciated 333-day-old BB Wistar insulin-dependent diabetic rat that had been treated for dehydration by subcutaneous injection of normal saline. There was a large area of nearly complete demyelination involving most of the basal portion of the pons, part of the tegmentum, and the base of the middle cerebellar peduncles. There was a relative sparing of neurons and axons, but some …