Wernicke’s Encephalopathy Following Gastrointestinal Surgery; MRI and DWI Findings

Abstract

Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE) is a neurologic disorder resulting from thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency and characterised by the ocular signs, altered consciousness, and ataxia. It is usually associated with chronic alcohol abuse. Recently, it could be a complication of bariatric surgery. The classical clinical triad occurs in a small group of patients, and early replacement of thiamine is an important prognostic factor. Hence, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is useful to support the diagnosis. In this case, we report MRI and diffusion weighted imaging findings of WE in a patient without history of alcoholism after gastrointestinal surgery.

Keywords

• Gastrointestinal surgery
• magnetic resonance imaging
• thiamine
• Wernicke’s encephalopathy