Published in:
01-01-2016 | Review Article
Wernicke Encephalopathy: a Future Problem Even After Sleeve Gastrectomy? A Systematic Literature Review
Authors:
Dino Kröll, Markus Laimer, Yves Michael Borbély, Kurt Laederach, Daniel Candinas, Philipp Christoph Nett
Published in:
Obesity Surgery
|
Issue 1/2016
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Abstract
Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) is a serious complication of bariatric surgery with significant morbidity and mortality. A few cases have been reported in the literature, mainly in patients after a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Since sleeve gastrectomy (SG) has become a more established and popular bariatric procedure, WE is expected to appear more frequently after SG. We performed a literature review on WE after SG, and 13 cases have been found to be sufficiently documented. The risk of WE needs to be considered in patients with a prolonged vomiting episode and any type of neurological symptoms, independent of the presence of any surgical complications.