Abstract
Thiamine deficiency can cause peripheral polyneuropathy and Wernicke’s encephalopathy. Wernicke’s encephalopathy is characterized by ataxia, ophthalmoplegia, nystagmus, and confusion, and typically presents acute and rapidly progressive course, whereas peripheral neuropathy associated with thiamine deficiency manifests chronic and slowly progressive one. However, acute and rapidly progressive axonal polyneuropathy combined with Wernicke’s encephalopathy is quite rare and unusual. Here, we describe a patient with Wernicke’s encephalopathy who presented with acute bilateral axonal neuropathy. (Korean J Clin Neurophysiol 2014;16:27-31)
REFERENCES
1.Thomson AD., Guerrini I., Marshall EJ. Wernicke's encephalopathy: role of thiamine. Practical Gastroenterol. 2009. 75:21–30.
2.Donnino MW., Vega J., Miller J., Walsh M. Myths and misconceptions of Wernicke's encephalopathy: what every emergency physician should know. Ann Emerg Med. 2007. 50:715–721.
4.Lehmann HC., Lindenberg R., Arendt G., Ploner M. Acute axonal neuropathy and Wernicke's encephalopathy. J Neurol. 2006. 253:1516–1517.
5.Koike H., Misu K., Hattori N., Ito S., Ichimura M., Ito H, et al. Postgastrectomy polyneuropathy with thiamine deficiency. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2001. 71:357–362.
6.Zuccoli G., Pipitone N. Neuroimaging findings in acute Wernicke's encephalopathy: review of the literature. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2009. 192:501–508.
7.Ishibashi S., Yokota T., Shiojiri T., Matunaga T., Tanaka H., Nishina K, et al. Reversible acute axonal polyneuropathy associated with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome: impaired physiological nerve conduction due to thiamine deficiency? J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2003. 74:674–676.