Wernicke’s encephalopathy in a patient with acute pancreatitis: unusual cortical involvement and marvelous prognosis

Abstract

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is a severe neurological disorder caused by thiamine deficiency. Clinically, it is most frequently observed in people with alcohol abuse. WE, however, can occur in any clinical condition associated with malnutrition or thiamine deficiency. We present the case of a 47-year-old woman with prolonged therapeutic fasting who presented with ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and deep coma. MRI showed unusual symmetric cortical abnormalities in the frontal and parietal lobes, as well as typical lesions surrounding the third ventricle and aqueduct. Although the patient entered a vegetative state, she finally regained consciousness after thiamine supplementation unexpectedly. To the best of our knowledge, it has never been reported to date that the patient with WE in a vegetative state with cortical damage shows a marvelous prognosis, which prompts us to report this case. In the present report, we highlight the role of MRI in the diagnosis of acute WE.