Reversible acute parkinsonism and bilateral Basal Ganglia lesions in a diabetic uremic patient

The syndrome of bilateral basal ganglia lesions in diabetic uremic patients is a rare disorder mostly reported in Asians. There are few reports of the syndrome in Caucasians. It manifests as an acute hyperkinetic or hypokinetic extrapyramidal disorder in association with uniform neuroimaging findings of bilateral symmetrical basal ganglia changes in diabetics undergoing hemodialysis. Its pathophysiology remains largely unknown. Thus, we report a typical case of the syndrome in a Caucasian patient who developed an acute and reversible akinetic rigid parkinsonism secondary to bilateral basal ganglia lesions.