Metabolic causes of brain stem dysfunction
What are the common metabolic causes of brain stem dysfunction?
Extraocular movements and cerebellar pathways are vulnerable to damage by metabolic insults because they are highly metabolically active.
These dysfunctions are usually acute and reversible.
The common presentations are ataxia, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, dysarthria, nystagmus, and gaze palsies such as INO.
Common causes are alcohol intoxication and overdose of sedative drugs (e.g., barbiturates) and anticonvulsants (e.g., phenytoin).
