Intracerebral Hematoma Secondary to Wernicke’s Encephalopathy: A Case Report With a Review of Literature

TL;DR

A 48-year-old man with Wernicke’s encephalopathy due to thiamine deficiency developed a rare complication: intracerebral hematoma.

Contribution

This case report highlights a rare complication of Wernicke’s encephalopathy and its association with intracerebral hematoma.

Findings

The patient showed typical MRI findings of Wernicke’s encephalopathy in standard brain regions.

The patient also developed an intracerebral hematoma, a rare and severe complication of the condition.

Low serum thiamine levels confirmed the diagnosis of Wernicke’s encephalopathy.

Abstract

Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE) is an acute neurological disorder secondary to thiamine deficiency (vitamin B1). Treatment should be started as early as possible to prevent serious complications. Typical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of WE can be seen as symmetrical signal abnormalities in the periventricular regions of the thalamus, hypothalamus, mammillary bodies, periaqueductal region, and floor of the fourth ventricle. Intracranial hemorrhage is a rare but serious complication of WE, whose physiopathology remains unclear. We report the case of a 48-year-old man with suggestive MRI abnormalities of WE in typical sites and low serum thiamine levels, complicated by intracerebral hematoma.

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