Paroxysmal Hypothermia With Prominent Parkinsonian Features After Suprachiasmatic Tumor Resection

Abstract

Paroxysmal hypothermia (PH) is a rare syndrome of stereotyped episodes of hypothermia, bradycardia, and altered mental status occurring in patients with hypothalamic lesions. Prior cases have mentioned bradykinesia, ataxia, and dysarthria, but parkinsonism has not been described as a specific feature of PH. We report two patients, an adult and a child, who developed PH after suprachiasmatic tumor resection, both with clinical presentations notable for prominent parkinsonian features despite no evidence of parkinsonism during the intervening months and years. We propose a diagnostic algorithm and scoring tool to aid in the clinical diagnosis of PH presenting as parkinsonism.