Morphine-sensitive paroxysmal sympathetic storm in pontine intracerebral hemorrhage.

Paroxysmal sympathetic storm (PSS) is a rare complication of severe traumatic brain injury or cerebrovascular disease. Various medications have been tried in patients with PSS, but the clinical responses of the patients were variable. We report a classic case of PSS after spontaneous pontine hemorrhage in which the patient's fluctuating blood pressure and body temperature were dramatically stabilized using morphine.