Membranous Cytoplasmic Spirals in Dilantin Intoxication

Abstract

THE efficacy of diphenylhydantoin (dilantin) in the treatment of certain epileptic conditions is well established¹. The earlier paper of Merritt and Putnam² indicated that excessive doses of dilantin can produce ataxia in human beings, although this is a rare finding. Recently, Kokenge et al.³, following the earlier study of Utterback⁴, showed severe losses of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum of rats and cats given toxic doses of dilantin. In the present investigations toxic doses of dilantin were given to rats and the ultrastructural changes occurring during Purkinje cell degeneration were studied. In addition, an especially peculiar phenomenon of membrane hyperplasia was observed in Purkinje cells with an apparent resistance to the drug.