Pontine warning syndrome and restless legs syndrome secondary to paramedian pontine infarction: a case report

Abstract

Pontine warning syndrome (PWS) occurs rarely and is characterized by recurrent, stereotyped episodes of motor or sensory dysfunction, dysarthria, or ophthalmoplegia leading to pontine infarction. Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a distinct neurological sensorimotor disorder. Pontine infarction is a rare but possible cause of RLS. Here, we report the case of a 58-year-old woman who experienced unilateral RLS in concomitance with stereotyped episodes of left-sided weakness and dysarthria, and developed an acute paramedian pontine infarction eventually. To the best of our knowledge, no other cases of PWS coinciding with RLS in the progression of pontine infarction have been reported in the literature. Furthermore, we discussed the potential mechanisms of PWS and RLS secondary to pontine infarction, which may be helpful for managing such patients.

Keywords:

• Pontine warning syndrome
• restless legs syndrome
• ischemic stroke
• pontine infarction

Acknowledgements

Not applicable.

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We have obtained the patient’s permission and informed consent for the publishing of her information and images.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Funding

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