MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING IN A CASE OF WERNICKES ENCEPHALOPATHY

Wernicke's encephalopathy is an uncommon disorder caused by a thiamine deficiency which is clinically characterized by the triad of ophthalm oplegia, ataxia and disturbances of consciousness, each finding being variably present. The disease is caused by malnutrition or malabsorpti on, and is often associated with prolonged alcohol intake, neoplasm an d extensive inflammatory processes of the digestive tract and parenter al hyperalimentation-induced gastrointestinal mucosal atrophy. Clinica l diagnosis can be elusive and MRI may be the only imaging technique a ble to detect the cerebral lesions, whose type and distribution are ch aracteristic of the Wernicke's encephalopathy, whereas CT is positive only in exceptional cases. We report a case of a 56-year-old woman who developed a Wernicke's encephalopathy 1 month after a colonic resecti on with signal intensify changes located in the mammillary bodies and in the medial thalamic nuclei.