1.
Neurology
; 59(9): 1460-3, 2002 Nov 12.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-12427908
ABSTRACT
The authors report a 57-year-old man who survived 18 days after swallowing an 8-oz. can of Sterno in a suicide attempt. Two days after ingestion, he developed confusion and acute renal failure requiring hemodialysis, followed on day 8 by a delayed but rapidly evolving ascending paralysis. Pathologic examination showed severe demyelination, with lesser axonal damage, of virtually all cranial and peripheral nerves sampled and sparing of central myelin. The diethylene glycol in the Sterno was considered responsible for this intoxication.