Central paroxysmal positional nystagmus mimicking posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in pontine infarction: a case report and literature review.

This letter, published in the Journal of Neurology, presents a case report and literature review on central paroxysmal positional nystagmus (CPN) mimicking posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in pontine infarction. The report describes a 67-year-old man who presented with acute vertigo and nystagmus, initially diagnosed as right acute unilateral peripheral vestibulopathy with posterior canal BPPV. However, further examination revealed features of central vestibulopathy, and brain MRI confirmed an acute infarction in the lateral pontine tegmentum. The patient's symptoms resolved after two days, and follow-up showed no positional nystagmus. The authors discuss the characteristics of CPN and differentiate it from BPPV based on nystagmus patterns and response to treatment. [Extracted from the article]