Dry Beriberi and Wernicke's encephalopathy following gastric lap band surgery.

Abstract

The incidence of neurologic complications from bariatric surgery is rising with the prevalence of obesity and the increasing number of bariatric surgeries. We report a 25-year-old woman who developed subacute progressive weakness and areflexia followed by confusion, ophthalmoplegia, and nystagmus following bariatric surgery. While the differential of generalized weakness with altered mental status is broad, vitamin deficiency should be routinely suspected after bariatric surgery to prevent permanent neurological injury. Multifocal neurological dysfunction in our patient represented beriberi and Wernicke's encephalopathy related to vitamin B1 deficiency.

• Authors: Danielle A Becker, Erin E Ingala, Maria Martinez-Lage, Raymond S Price, Steven L Galetta
• Journal: Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia (J Clin Neurosci) Vol. 19 Issue 7 Pg. 1050-2 (Jul 2012) ISSN: 1532-2653 [Electronic] Scotland
• PMID: 22525460 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Adult
• Bariatric Surgery (adverse effects)
• Beriberi (diagnosis, etiology)
• Female
• Humans
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Muscle, Skeletal (pathology)
• Obesity (surgery)
• Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed
• Wernicke Encephalopathy (diagnosis, etiology)