Neurological Disorders

Case: Wernicke Encephalopathy after Bariatric Surgery

Abstract

Kristl Dobbelaere and Stefaan De Clercq

Background: Wernicke encephalopathy after bariatric surgery is rare and difficult to recognize. The severity of the disease and the preventable but irreversible long-term implications lead us to emphasize the importance of timely and correct diagnosis and treatment. Nonalcoholic Wernicke encephalopathy often manifests atypical clinical presentation and disease progression that makes it prone to be underestimated.
Clinical case: We report the medical history of a 48-year old lady after bariatric surgery. It is a case of possible Wernicke encephalopathy. The patient presents with a constellation of physical features that may represent a complex clinical situation due to longer existing vision problems or an as yet uncharacterized Wernicke encephalopathy. We discuss diagnosis, underlying pathology, metabolic mechanism and common therapeutic approach.
Conclusion: With the ongoing global epidemic of obesity the need for obesity surgery will increase, thus leading to increased occurrence of Wernicke encephalopathy. This emphasizes the importance of awareness of this clinical entity and the need for early detection and prevention.