ABSTRACT

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is an acute neurologic syndrome caused by thiamine deficiency. This disease is often associated with alcoholism and the classic clinical triad is characterized by ocular abnormalities, ataxia, and confusion. However, the classic clinical triad is encountered in only 10-20% of cases. For this reason, there are difficulties in early diagnosis, especially in patients without a history of alcoholism. Due to the risk of mortality, and the rapid improvement following thiamine treatment, conditions that may lead to gastrointestinal malabsorption should be considered among reasons other than alcoholism in the differential diagnosis. In this study, we present cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of a patient who underwent gastric bypass surgery due to morbid obesity.