Delayed-onset Wernicke Encephalopathy in a Patient with Gastrectomy

J Korean Neurol Assoc > Volume 26(1); 2008 > Article

Journal of the Korean Neurological Association 2008;26(1): 59-62.

위절제술 받은 환자의 지연성 베르니케 뇌병증

김병수, 김치헌 황우섭 정진상 서대원

성균관대학교 의과대학 삼성서울병원 신경과학교실

Delayed-onset Wernicke Encephalopathy in a Patient with Gastrectomy

Byung-Su Kim

Departments of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

A 62-year-old man was transferred to our emergency room because of acute encephalopathy. He was a nondrinker with history of a gastrectomy nineteen years ago. Two weeks before his visit, he had experienced transient poor oral intake due to gastroesophageal reflux (GER). His brain MRI showed definite lesions compatible with Wernicke Encephalopathy (WE). A trivial event like GER can complicate the marginal equilibrium of thiamine and, after a long latent interval following a gastrectomy, may induce delayed-onset WE.KeyWords:Wernicke encephalopathy, Gastrectomy, Gastroesophageal reflux