Wernicke's encephalopathy: A forgotten disease

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is an acute neurological condition characterized by ataxia, confusion, ocular findings, and impairment of consciousness due to thiamine deficiency. Although alcoholism is the most common reason, WE cases resulting from prolonged total parenteral nutrition (TPN) without multivitamin complex have been reported. Here we present a dramatic improvement in symptoms with high-dose thiamine in a patient who developed WE due to TPN after gastrointestinal surgery.