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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2020; 41(05): 767-769
DOI: 10.4103/ijmpo.ijmpo_106_20
Practitioner Section

Wernicke Encephalopathy in a Child with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with Atypical Neuroimaging Findings

Leema Cornelius
Department of Paediatric Neurology, Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Madras Medical College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
,
Asir Paulraj
Department of Paediatric Neurology, Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Madras Medical College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
,
Neeraj Elango
Department of Paediatric Neurology, Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Madras Medical College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
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Abstract

Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) is characterized by a clinical triad of ataxia, ophthalmoplegia, and altered mental state. It is said to be a rare entity in infants and children. We describe the case of a 2-year-old child with acute leukemia on chemotherapy who presented with acute encephalopathy. Blood parameters and cerebrospinal fluid analysis were normal, and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed isolated cranial nerve nuclei involvement. There was remarkable improvement in sensorium following thiamine therapy. A high index of suspicion is necessary to diagnose WE in high-risk patients such as leukemia.

Keywords

Acute encephalopathy - acute lymphoblastic leukemia - Wernicke encephalopathy


Publication History

Received: 21 March 2020

Accepted: 27 May 2020

Article published online:
17 May 2021

© 2020. Indian Society of Medical and Paediatric Oncology. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)

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