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Diffusion weighted MR imaging of acute Wernicke's encephalopathy
Tae-Ick Chung1, Joong-Seok Kim, Soung-Kyeong Park
1Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Youido St Mary's Hospital, #62 Youido-dong, Youngdungpo-gu, Seoul 150-071, South Korea.
Abstract:
We report a case of Wernicke's encephalopathy in which diffusion-weighted MR images demonstrated symmetrical hyperintense lesions in the paraventricular area of the third ventricles and medial thalami. Apparent diffusion coefficient mapping showed isointensity in the aforementioned areas. Diffusion-weighted MR images may provide evidence of vasogenic edema associated with thiamine deficiency, proven in the histopathology of experimental animals. In addition, diffusion-weighted MRI has many advantages over T2 or FLARE-weighted brain MRI in detecting structural and functional abnormalities in Wernicke's encephalopathy.