WERNICKE ENCEPHALOPATHY AFTER CHEMOTHERAP Y

Background. - Wernicke's encephalopathy is usually seen in alcoholic a dults. It is rare in childhood and usually discovered in a context of several pathological events. We report here a typical case of a teenag er. Case report. - A 15-year-old girl with acute leukemia was given ch emotherapy that resulted in profound aplasia and serious infection. Sh e exhibited abnormal eye movements, ataxia, lethargy, enuresis and amn esia. MR examination showed T2-weighted images with increased signal i n the thalami (pulvinar) and periaqueducal region. The symptoms improv ed dramatically with thiamine therapy. Omission of the usual vitamin s upplementation between the courses of chemotherapy was responsible for this encephalopathy. Conclusion. - Thiamine deficiency can lead to de ath or amnesia. Rapid efficacy of vitamin supplementation helps diagno sis and prevents sequelae.