非酒精性韦尼克脑病的临床与MRI影像特征

目的非酒精性韦尼克脑病(Wernicke encehalopathy,WE)易误诊,本文旨在提高对该病的认识。方法回顾性分析6例非酒精性WE患者临床及MRI特征。结果 6例患者均出现不同程度的意识障碍,其中仅2例表现为经典的三联征。6例患者均出现双侧对称性丘脑内侧、脑室及导水管周围、中脑顶盖异常信号典型表现,同时2例深昏迷患者分别表现出弥漫性皮层及面神经核受累。随访患者平均恢复时间为7.5个月,而MRI则为2.8个月。2例深昏迷患者预后较差,1例患者死亡,另1例2年后仍遗留严重四肢痉挛性瘫痪,并伴智能低下。2例深昏迷患者DWI上表现为广泛高信号。结论 MRI可为非酒精性WE提供早期诊断,而病变累及广泛皮层及颅神经核可能提示较差的预后,同时DWI序列可能有一定的预后作用。     

非酒精性Wernicke脑病二例

目的探讨Wernicke脑病患者的临床和影像学特点。方法分析2例非酒精性Wernicke脑病患者的临床资料。结果 2例患者均为消化道晚期肿瘤行手术治疗、术后有营养不均衡、发病前有葡萄糖注射液补液史。2例患者均有意识障碍和典型的头颅MRI信号改变,即双侧丘脑内侧、中脑顶盖及导水管周围的高T_2信号;维生素B_1补充治疗后患者的症状有不同程度的好转。结论导致维生素B_1缺乏的高危因素、临床表现及典型的头颅MRI表现是临床上Wernicke脑病早期诊断的重要线索。早期足量维生素B_1治疗效果好。高危患者应注意预防Wernicke脑病的发生。     

Correlation of magnetic resonance images with neuropathology in acute Wernicke's encephalopathy

We correlated serial brain MRIs with neuropathological findings in a 16-year-old female whose autopsy was consistent with Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE). Diffusion-weighted imaging, diffusion coefficients mapping and neuropathology findings were suggested vasogenic edema in the periaqueductal and peri-the-fourth ventricular areas. This is the first documented case report to make this direct comparison. The characteristic WE changes in the mammillary body was also correlated with the findings of MRI with contrast enhancement. Bilateral cortical lesions revealed by MRI were atypical and rare in WE and were not evidenced by pathological changes.     

MRI in non-alcoholic Wernicke's encephalopathy

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is a potentially reversible disorder. It is often not considered in non-alcoholic patients unless MRI demonstrates lesions in the appropriate sites. However, specific MRI sequences only highlight some areas of abnormality and hence WE may not be considered unless a more complete study is performed and this is highlighted in the case described herein. The neuropathological basis for the imaging findings is also discussed.     

Wernicke's encephalopathy in patients on peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis

Although the occurrence of Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) in patients on dialysis is frequently alluded to, review of the literature reveals only 3 described cases. We describe 5 patients on dialysis who developed WE in the absence of alcoholism or other predisposing factors. The clinical diagnoses included uremic encephalopathy (2 patients), dysequilibrium syndrome (1), dialysis dementia (1), and brainstem hemorrhage (1). At postmortem examination, classic findings of WE were evident. The rarity of WE in patients on dialysis may in part be explained by studies indicating a genetic defect in transketolase activity. Patients on dialysis are also potentially at risk for thiamine deficiency because of anorexia, vomiting, and intravenous alimentation. Other factors altering thiamine requirements, such as glucose load or infections, may also contribute. Preventable and potentially curable, WE should be suspected in all patients on dialysis who have an unexplained neurological picture.     

Wernicke's encephalopathy associated with hemodialysis: report of two cases and review of the literature.

Two rare cases of Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) in non-alcoholic patients on hemodialysis (HD) are reported. They presented with the clinical triad of WE (ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and disturbance of consciousness) and intravenous administration of thiamine led to complete elimination of these manifestations. Reduced plasma thiamine levels prior to the administration confirmed the diagnosis of WE. Interestingly, a reduction in plasma thiamine levels by about half was seen in one of the patients on HD, suggesting that thiamine, a water-soluble vitamin, can be depleted with HD. In the literature, nine HD-dependent patients have been reported to develop WE, seven of whom were diagnosed postmortem. Their premortem diagnoses included uremic encephalopathy, dysequilibrium syndrome and dialysis dementia, which can often complicate HD and present symptoms similar to those of WE. We therefore emphasize that WE, even though a rare complication, should be suspected in all patients on HD who present with at least one of the clinical triad of WE.     

韦尼克脑病16例临床分析

目的探讨韦尼克脑病(Wernicke’s encephalopathy,WE)的病因、发病机制、临床表现及治疗。方法回顾性分析我院2002~2009年16例WE患者的临床资料。结果 WE病因复杂,饮酒为其最常见的病因。主要临床表现包括行走不稳、眼征、精神神志障碍三联征,但典型的WE三联征很少同时出现,往往以其中一种或两种表现为主。头部MRI大多为腔隙性脑梗死、脑萎缩等非特异性表现,丘脑、下丘脑、乳头体及脑室周围等部位对称性长T1、长T2信号的特征性表现并不多见。绝大多数患者经大剂量补充Vit-B1后疗效显著。结论 WE病因及临床表现复杂多样,早期诊断困难,头部MRI可作为WE重要的辅助检查。及时补充大剂量Vit-B1预后良好。     

MRI对非乙醇中毒性韦尼克脑病的诊断价值(附五例临床分析)

目的 分析非乙醇中毒性韦尼克脑病(WE)患者的临床和颅脑MRI成像特点,探讨颅脑MRI对其的诊断价值. 方法 深圳市第二人民医院放射科自2007年6月至2010年2月应用MRI检查非乙醇中毒性WE患者5例,回顾性分析患者的临床特征、颅脑MRI成像特点及治疗转归等资料. 结果 非乙醇中毒性WE患者缺乏特征性临床表现,颅脑MRI主要表现为丘脑内侧,侧脑室,第三脑室,中脑导水管周围脑组织对称性高信号,2例患者可见大脑皮层受累.增强扫描后部分病变可见强化.2例患者死亡,3例患者应用维生素B1治疗后预后良好. 结论 颅脑MRI对非乙醇中毒性WE具有诊断价值,其显示的损害范围可反映WE的疾病严重程度.

Abstract：

Objective To analyze the clinical features and MR imaging features of patients with nonalcoholic Wemicke's encephalopathy (WE). Methods A retrospective review of the data,consisting of clinical and cranial MRI features, and the treatment results, was conducted on 5 patients with nonalcoholic WE, who admitted to our hospital fiom June 2007 to February 2010. Results The clinical features of nonalcoholic WE were non-characterized and most of them had no specific value for diagnosis. MR imaging showed symmetrical high signal in the medial thalamus, lateral ventricle, third ventricle and surrounding area of the aqueduct of midbrain; involvement of the cerebral cortex was found in 2 patients. Enhancement in some of the lesions was noted after performing contrast-enhanced scan.Favorable prognosis was given to the 3 patients treated with vitamin B1; 2 patients died. Conclusion Cerebral MRI enjoys great value in diagnosing nonalcoholic WE and reflects appropriately the pathological severity of this disease by demonstrating the scope of the lesions.     

Two cases of Wernicke's encephalopathy in children: an underdiagnosed complication of poor nutrition

We describe the occurrence of Wernicke's encephalopathy in two children in whom the diagnosis was not suspected during life. Postmortem examination showed changes characteristic of the disease. This preventable and treatable condition is probably underdiagnosed in poorly nourished, nonalcoholic patients of all ages.     

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

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.     

'Iatrogenic' Wernicke's encephalopathy in Japan

'Iatrogenic' Wernicke's encephalopathy has appeared to occur more frequently in Japan, probably induced by the change of our Japanese national health insurance policy in 1992. We report 4 nonalcoholic patients with such Wernicke's encephalopathy, which occurred during the early postoperative oral food intake period following intravenous nutrition without vitamin supplements. We analyzed the medical records of 4 patients, 3 men and 1 woman, aged between 55 and 71 years, who were admitted to our hospital between 1992 and 1995. Three patients underwent gastrointestinal surgery and 1 suffered chronic pyothorax. We diagnosed our patients as having Wernicke's encephalopathy based on typical neurological abnormalities, in addition to typical cranial magnetic resonance image findings, low serum vitamin B(1) levels, or both. Although all of the patients were treated with vitamin B(1) and showed some improvement, 1 patient developed Korsakoff syndrome, 2 made incomplete neurological recovery, and 1 died. We speculated that the body vitamin B(1) stores had been decreasing in our patients who did not receive any vitamin supplements during intravenous hyperalimentation or hydration. Subsequent administration of high calorie and high carbohydrate oral diets increased the demand for vitamin B(1), further depleting the vitamin stores, thereby causing 'iatrogenic' Wernicke's encephalopathy. The change of our national health insurance policy in 1992 discouraged the routine administration of vitamins, probably causing Wernicke's encephalopathy in our patients.     

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in Wernicke's encephalopathy

OBJECTIVE: To report diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) findings and postulate the pathogenic mechanism of Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE). PATIENT: A 47-year-old-woman presented with altered consciousness, ophthalmoplegia, and ataxia. DWI revealed the abnormal signal changes in periaqueductal gray matter, mamillary bodies and bilateral medial thalami. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map revealed the high signal intensity lesions in bilateral medial thalami, suggestive of vasogenic edema. The abnormal signal intensity lesions disappeared on follow-up imaging with clinical improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Vasogenic edema plays an important role in the pathogenesis of WE and can be reversed by proper management. DWI findings in the early stage of WE may provide useful information about the prognosis.     

Corpus Callosum Atrophy in Wernicke's Encephalopathy

Background and Purpose. Neuropathologic changes in Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) involve variable brain structures. Corpus callosum involvement in WE, however, is largely unknown. The authors investigated the degree and the pattern of corpus callosum changes in WE according to the etiologies. Methods. Nineteen patients with WE (between 34 and 81 years) and 19 age‐ and sex‐matched control participants were included. The total cross‐sectional callosal area and 5 callosal subregions (C1‐C5) were measured by tracing outer margins in the midsagittal sections. Subregions were determined by placing radial dividers with 10 rays. The pixel numbers for corpus callosums were calculated, and the values obtained were adjusted for head size variations. Results. The causes of WE were alcoholism (10), intestinal surgery (5), anorexia (3), and hyperemesis gravidarum (1). The mean size of the total corpus callosum was significantly reduced in alcoholic WE (P< .001; 527.8 ± 70.8 mm 2for alcoholic WE; 664.6 ± 58.1 mm 2for the corresponding controls), but not in nonalcoholic WE. In subregion analysis, prefrontal callosum (C2) atrophy was the most prominent in alcoholic WE. In contrast, only splenium (C5) was atrophied in nonalcoholic WE. The degree of atrophy did not change throughout the follow‐up period (mean 5.3 weeks). Conclusion. This study suggests that the extent and location of corpus callosum atrophy differs between alcoholic WE and nonalcoholic WE, implying separate contribution of alcohol neurotoxicity and nutritional deficiency.     

颅脑MRI检查对Wernicke脑病的诊断价值

目的 探讨颅脑MRI检查对Wemicke脑病(WE)的诊断价值.方法 回顾性分析8例WE患者的临床资料及MRI检查结果.结果 8例WE患者MRI示脑部T2 WI、Flair成像及弥散加权成像(DWI)有对称性异常高信号影,其中出现在丘脑内侧6例、中脑导水管周围灰质4例、第三脑室周围灰质3例、乳头体2例及壳核、视交叉、小脑上蚓部、皮质下白质各1例;2例有增强效应.2例发病早期T2 WI、Flair无异常信号影,DWI示丘脑内侧对称性异常高信号影.结论 MRI对WE具有诊断价值,DWI对WE的早期诊断价值更高.     

Restricted Diffusion of the Splenium in Acute Wernicke''s Encephalopathy

Acute Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is caused by profound vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency and commonly presents with the classic clinical triad of mental confusion, ataxia, and ophthalmoplegia. This characteristic presentation results from the propensity of acute thiamine deficiency to preferentially injure specific brain regions: the dorsomedial thalamus, periaqueductal gray, and mamillary bodies. In these regions, abnormal magnetic resonance signaling on conventional sequences has been well described; however, diffusion restriction has only recently been reported. The authors demonstrate diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) abnormalities of the splenium of the corpus callosum in a patient with acute WE, which has not been reported previously, and suggest a potential pathological mechanism. With the recent addition of DWI, MRI is becoming more sensitive to the changes in acute WE. Furthermore, the use of apparent diffusion coefficient mapping to evaluate the extent of likely underlying cytotoxic injury may help determine long-term response to vitamin therapy and, thus, disability.     

The incidence of Wernicke''s encephalopathy in Australia--a neuropathological study of 131 cases.

In a nine year necropsy study in Western Australia, the incidence of Wernicke's encephalopathy was 2.8%. The incidence appears to be increasing. Although Wernicke's encephalopathy is a nutritional disorder, the majority of cases occur in the alcoholic population. Only 20% of the 131 cases studied had been diagnosed clinically as Wernicke's encephalopathy. This large discrepancy between numbers of cases diagnosed clinically and pathologically suggests that chronic Wernicke's encephalopathy, which comprised 83% of the cases, may be the end result of repeated subclinical episodes of Wernicke's encephalopathy. Thus, Wernicke's encephalopathy could be considered a "progressive" disorder and as patients respond well to thiamine replacement therapy, early diagnosis is important. Alternatively, prevention by vitamin enrichment of alcoholic beverages may have to be considered in an attempt to minimise the social and economic impact of Wernicke's encephalopathy on Western society.     

Diffusion weighted imaging of cerebellar lesions in Wernicke's encephalopathy

We report unusual findings on MR imaging in a 62-year-old woman with Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE). Initial fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) and diffusion weighted MR imaging (DW-MRI) showed hyperintense lesions in the cerebellum and medial thalami, with a decreased apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in the cerebellum (reduced by 45%). After thiamine supplementation, the T2 and diffusion hyperintensities disappeared. However, clinical examination at three months showed persistent cerebellar impairment. The importance of the ADC values should be further investigated.     

Wernicke脑病的临床、影像学及病理特点

目的探讨Wernicke脑病的临床、影像学及病理特点。方法回顾性分析10例Wernicke脑病患者的临床、影像学及病理资料。结果本组10例均非乙醇中毒患者,临床表现为不同程度的精神及意识障碍9例,首发症状为眩晕、恶心和呕吐6例,眼肌瘫痪5例,低血压3例,共济失调2例,严重的周围神经病变1例。5例行头颅MRI检查,3例表现为第三、四脑室及中脑导水管周围对称性的长T1长T2异常信号,2例无阳性发现。经补充维生素B1明显好转4例,死亡5例,放弃治疗1例。5例尸检脑部表现为第三、四脑室及中脑导水管周围灰质充血、水肿和点状出血。结论Wernicke脑病临床表现不典型,MRI检查可为Wernicke脑病的早期诊断提供帮助,及早补充维生素B1是治疗的关键。     

Wernicke encephalopathy after subtotal gastrectomy for morbid obesity

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is one of the potential complications of obesity surgery. It is an acute neuropsychiatric syndrome resulting from thiamine deficiency often associated with repeated vomiting. The classic triad is frequently reported in these patients (optic neuropathy, ataxia and confusion), associated with uncommon features. Cerebral impairment affects the dorsal medial nucleus of the thalamus and the periaqueductal grey area, appearing on MRI, as hyperintense signals on T2, Flair and Diffusion weighted imaging. Early diagnosis and parenteral thiamine are required to decrease morbidity and mortality. We report a case of WE and Korsakoff's syndrome in a young obese patient after subtotal gastrectomy, who still has substantial sequelae. The contribution of MRI with diffusion-weighted imaging is illustrated. The interest of nutritional supervision in the first weeks and preventive thiamine supplementation in case of repeated vomiting are of particular importance in these risky situations.     

Sudden bilateral blindness in Wernicke's encephalopathy: case report and review of the literature

We report on a patient suffering from bilateral sudden blindness as initial symptom of Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE). A 37-year-old male alcoholic was admitted to a psychiatric clinic because of excessive alcohol consumption (3.4‰). 24 h later he developed acute bilateral blindness with no light perception, downbeat nystagmus, bilateral ocular abduction deficits, cerebellar ataxia as well as a slight psychomotor slowing and mild disorientation. MRI including diffusion-weighted imaging and MR-angiography 3 h after symptom onset did not reveal findings suggestive for ischemic stroke. Immediate iv-application of thiamine led to a nearly complete remission of the neuroophthalmologic symptoms within 12 h. Although we critically discuss other potential etiologies, we conclude that the complex clinical picture with initial sudden blindness is an unusual presentation of WE.