Clinical characteristics and MR imaging features of nonalcoholic wernicke encephalopathy
WANG Shangshang
YANG Xuan
ZHANG Ying
CHEN Zhen
ZHANG Jing
Abstract：Objebtive To investigate the clinical characteristics and MR imaging features of nonalcoholic Wernicke encephalopathy (WE). Methods We retrospectively reviewed clinical characteristics and MR imaging features of 10 patients with nonalcoholic WE. Results The main predisposing factors included recurrent vomiting as a result of gastrointestinal disease, acute pancreatitis, and hyperemesis gravidarum. The most frequent neurologic finding was change in consciousness or mental status. On the MR images of the 10 patients, single area was involved in one cases, and multiple areas were involved in the remain 9 cases. The locations of lesions included the medial thalami and the periventricular region of the third ventricle (8 patients), the periaqueductal area (7 patients), the tectal plate (6 patients), the mamillary bodies (4 patients), the floor of forth ventricle (4 patients), and cerebellar vermis (1 patients). The findings were symmetric hyperintensity on T 2-weighted or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images in all lesions. Eight patients who underwent diffusion-weighted imaging demonstrated increased signal intensities in the affected areas. Contrast medium was administered in one patient, and the lesions showed slight enhancement. Four patients underwent follow-up MRI after therapy, all lesions shrunked or disappeared. Conclusion Nonalcoholic WE has characteristic MRI findings. Combining with clinical characteristics, MR features are useful in early diagnosis.
Keywords：Nonalcoholic wernicke encephalopathyMagnetic resonance imagingVitamin B1Metabolic encephalopathy
Publication Date：2016-01-01
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：4( 103-106 )