Two patients with central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) were studied with diff
usion-weighted MR imaging 1 week after onset of tetraplegia. In both patien
ts, affected white matter showed hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted image
s associated with a decrease in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values
. In one patient studied serially, ADC values normalized by 3 weeks after t
etraplegia. Early in the clinical course, diagnosis of CPM can sometimes be
difficult. Hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted images may therefore have
diagnostic utility. Decreased lesional ADC values support the notion that C
PM is a consequence of relative intracellular hypotonicity.