| Objective:To investigate the etiology, clinical manifestations, MRI characteristics, misdiagnosed causes and prognosis of Wernicke’s encephalopathy.Methods: 35 WE patients admitted to our hospital from October 2012 to June 2015 were analysed retrospectively for clinical data.Results: Alcohol abuse is the most common reason of WE, followed by the stomach, gallbladder and pancreatic deseases caused vomiting and poor diet. Patients accounted for 11.4% with typical triad syndrome including mental disorders, ophthalmoplegia and ataxia disorders, 42.9% with two of triad syndrome, 45.7% with one of triad syndrome. Brain MRI showed symmetrical abnormal signals in bilateral thalamus, abound of lateral ventricle, aqueduct, the third and fourth ventricle, mamillary body, cortex and corpus callosum. The misdiagnosis rate was 60% for 35 WE patients, 54.17% for alcoholic WE and 72.73% for non alcoholic WE. During hospitalization, the symptoms were improved for 91.42%(32/35) patients and were not improved for 8.58%(3/35) patients. After 5 months for leaving hospital, 9 cases lost follow-up, 6 cases died(mortality rate is 23.07%), 13 cases were cured(50%), 5 cases had memory disorders, 2 cases stayed completely in bed.Conclusion: The etiology and clinical features of WE vary greatly, MRI has a characteristic change, but misdiagnosis rate in early stage is very high. The prognosis of WE is closely related to the time of diagnosis and treatment. |
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