[Acute methanol poisoning--a review and a case report]

Abstract

Acute methanol intoxications are infrequent among accidental or suicidal intoxications today. The characteristic findings are illustrated by a review. Mainly, the methanol metabolites formaldehyde and formic acid are of toxicologic importance and cause the dominant central nervous and ocular symptoms. The principal therapeutic procedures include gastric lavage, induced vomiting, titrated correction of acidosis with sodium bicarbonate, administration of ethanol, folic acid and, especially, the secondary detoxication with peritoneal--or better--haemodialysis. The therapeutic measures must be started quickly and carried out consequently to improve the prognosis of methanol intoxication and to decrease the frequency of serious late complications like ophthalmologic and neurologic lesions. Our own medical management is described by a case report treated successfully.