Wernicke's encephalopathy in a rectal cancer patient with atypical radiological features: A case report.

Wernicke's encephalopathy is a disease caused by thiamine deficiency. The lesions usually involve the periphery of the aqueduct, midbrain, tectum, third ventricle, papillary body, and thalamus. It is very rare to affect the vermis and cerebellar hemispheres. We report a 77-year-old female patient admitted to the emergency department of our hospital for 2 d of unconsciousness. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed increased diffusion weighted imaging signals in the bilateral thalamus, periventricular regions of the third ventricle, corpora quadrigemina, vermis, and cerebellar hemispheres. Wernicke's encephalopathy was considered. She was given thiamine therapy and became conscious after the treatment. Wernicke's encephalopathy may have various imaging manifestations. Clinicians should keep in mind that Wernicke's encephalopathy may occur in patients who experience prolonged periods of malnutrition. ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.

Citation

Tian Nie, Jian-Li He. Wernicke's encephalopathy in a rectal cancer patient with atypical radiological features: A case report. World journal of clinical cases. 2021 Sep 06;9(25):7600-7604

PMID: 34616832

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