Journal of Emergency Practice and Trauma

Pseudo-SAH in a patient with methanol poisoning

Document Type : Case Report

Authors

Elham Pishbin
Hamidreza Reihani
Bahram Zarmehri
Mahdi Foroughian

Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

https://doi.org/10.34172/jept.2021.05
Abstract
Objective: Methanol poisoning is a dangerous life-threatening event, manifested with
various symptoms, sometimes very rare ones, that all should be addressed to prevent
misdiagnosis of the methanol-poisoned patients.
Case Presentation: A 21-year-old young man was brought to the emergency department
(ED) with a generalized tonic-clonic (GTC) seizure and he was diagnosed with methanol
intoxication. A non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) of the brain demonstrated
findings similar to subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). After the brain CT, he had a Glasgow
Coma Score (GCS) of 3 and all brainstem reflexes were absent. Neurology consultant
agreed with the diagnosis of pseudo-SAH. Brain death was confirmed by a positive apnea
test within 24 hours of presentation.
Conclusion: It is suggested that compression of dural sinuses due to severe brain edema,
reduces the venous drainage and leads to venous engorgement, which appears high
attenuated in the background of low-density edematous brain matter.

Keywords

Methanol
Brain edema
Pseudo-subarachnoid hemorrhage
COVID-19
Toxicity
Subjects
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Journal of Emergency Practice and Trauma
Volume 8, Issue 1
January 2022
Pages 64-65

  • Receive Date 19 December 2020
  • Revise Date 15 March 2021
  • Accept Date 30 March 2021

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