Leucoencefalopatía posthipóxica diferida tras intoxicación por monóxido de carbono: caso clínico

Retarded or delayed post-hypoxic leukoencephalopathy was first described in 1976 by Ginsberg. It is a demyelinating syndrome characterized by the acute onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms days or weeks after apparent recovery from a coma after a prolonged period of cerebral hypo-oxygenation. It is diagnosed after excluding other possible causes of it, with a thorough clinical history and evidence of brain image where areas of diffuse involvement may be seen in cerebral white matter. The case is presented of a 52 year-old adult male who, after suffering an accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, presented with a neuropsychiatric disorder consisting of a generalized rigidity, apathy, mutism and pseudobulbar syndrome for several weeks that required urgent hospital admission due to their high lifetime risk. It is hoped that this case can help in the differential diagnosis with other extrapyramidal syndromes that are accompanied by psychiatric symptoms, and contributes to a better understanding of these disorders among health professionals.