Nonalcoholic Wernicke's encephalopathy with prominent astasia and optic neuropathy

Abstract

Objective: To present a case with nonalcoholic Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) developing astasia and optic neuropathy as major sequelae. Clinical Presentation and Intervention: A 47-year-old woman developed WE following operation for pyloric stenosis. She received total parenteral nutrition before and after operation, but on the second postoperative day she developed visual hallucination and confusion, followed by nystagmus, ophthalmoplegia, apathy, dysarthria and coma. Although the patient has recovered with thiamine treatment, astasia and optic neuropathy persisted as major morbidities. Conclusion: The report shows that astasia and optic neuropathy may be prominent sequelae in some patients with WE. Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG.