Diffusion Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a Patient with Acute Wernicke Encephalopathy

ABSTRACT

We report a case of acute Wernicke encephalopathy in which diffusion-weighted imagings (DWI) revealed symmetrical high signal intensities in the medial thalamus, bilateral hemispheres of the cerebellum and periaqueductal gray matter. Calculation of the apparent diffusion coefficient demonstrated a mildly decreased diffusion on the affected regions. The high signal lesions were slowly resolved on the acute phase follow-up images with the administration of thimaine. We propose DWI should be included in the imaging protocols of patients suspected to suffer from Wernicke encephalopathy.