Abstract:Objective To summarize the experience in diagnosis and treatment of Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) after gastrointestinal surgery. Methods The clinical data of 3 WE patients after gastrointestinal surgery in Zhongda Hospital and Xuzhou Hospital Affiliated to Medical College of Southeast University from 2008 to 2017 were retrospectively analyzed.In combined with literature reports, the clinical characteristics and treatment experience of WE were discussed. Results The average age of the patients was (53.0±18.2) years old, and there were 2 males and 1 female.Three patients underwent surgical treatment for rectal cancer, gastric cancer and obesity, respectively.After surgery, all patients had varying degrees of nystagmus, ataxia, and mental disorders.Laboratory tests showed all patients suffered from hyperlipidemia.Magnetic resonance imaging showed that 1 patient presented with old cerebral infarction, and the other 2 patients presented with abnormal symmetry signals in medial thalamus, third ventricle and periaqueductal area.After treatment with intramuscular injection of vitamin B1, the prognosis of patients varied greatly.Symptoms were all eviated in 2 patients, but 1 patient died 2 months after surgery. Conclusion WE after gastrointestinal surgery is relatively rare, shows a rapid onset of illness and can be easily misdiagnosed in clinic.It should be paid attention by clinicians for its poor prognosis if not treated promptly and effectively.