Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology

The Korean Society of Clinical Neurophysiology (대한임상신경생리학회)
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Miller Fisher syndrome mimicking Wernicke encephalopathy during pregnancy

  • Seo, Jung Hwa (Department of Neurology, Busan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine) ;
  • Kang, Mi-Ri (Department of Neurology, Busan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine) ;
  • Yoon, Byeol-A (Department of Neurology, Dong-A University Hospital, Dong-A University College of Medicine) ;
  • Ji, Ki-Hwan (Department of Neurology, Busan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine) ;
  • Oh, Seong-il (Department of Neurology, Busan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine)
  • Received : 2018.06.12
  • Accepted : 2018.10.23
  • Published : 2019.01.31
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Abstract

Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS) is characterized by ataxia, areflexia, and ophthalmoparesis. Here we present a case of MFS mimicking Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) during pregnancy. A 31-year-old woman at 8 weeks of gestation presented with diplopia and ataxia after experiencing nausea and vomiting for several weeks. We initiated thiamine based on a suspicion of WE, which produced no clear effects. However, her symptoms began to improve following intravenous immunoglobulin treatment, and other findings finally lead to a diagnosis of MFS. Because ataxia and ophthalmoparesis can be misdiagnosed as WE during pregnancy, clinicians should consider MFS in the differential diagnosis.

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References

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