Ann Rehabil Med.  2011 Aug;35(4):583-586. 10.5535/arm.2011.35.4.583.

Wernicke's Encephalopathy after Sleeve Gastrectomy for Morbid Obesity: A Case Report

• Jeong HJ
• Park JW
• Kim YJ
• Lee YG
• Jang YW
• Seo JW

• KMID: 1971728
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5535/arm.2011.35.4.583

Abstract

Morbid obesity is a curable systemic disease that can cause several complications, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and osteoarthritis. However, it is not easy to control solely by conservative management. Bariatric surgeries, such as sleeve gastrectomy and gastric banding, are recently developed treatments that are applied to patients with morbid obesity in Korea. However, gastric surgery can cause surgical or metabolic complications, such as thiamine deficiency, which can lead to Wernicke's encephalopathy. This metabolic complication presents with typical symptoms of confusion, ophthalmoplegia, nystagmus, and ataxia. In this case report, we present a case of Wernicke's encephalopathy, which developed slowly following sleeve gastrectomy in a patient with morbid obesity.

Keyword

Wernicke's encephalopathy; Sleeve gastrectomy; Morbid obesity

MeSH Terms

Ataxia
Bariatric Surgery
Diabetes Mellitus
Gastrectomy
Humans
Hypertension
Korea
Obesity, Morbid
Ophthalmoplegia
Osteoarthritis
Thiamine Deficiency
Wernicke Encephalopathy

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of a 24-year-old man with ataxia, dysarthria, and ophthalmic symptoms. T2-weighted MR images show no definite structural abnormalities or signal changes in the periventricular white matter (arrow), the medial thalamus (arrow head) (A), or the mamillary bodies (arrow) (B).

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