title: Multiple cerebral metastases mimicking Wernicke's encephalopathy in a chronic alcoholic.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Alcohol dependent patients in withdrawal display a wide spectrum of neurological and neuropsychological symptoms that complicate diagnosis. We report the case of a 53-year-old male alcoholic with disorientation, ataxia and nystagmus in alcohol withdrawal probably due not to initial supposed Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) but rather due to multiple cerebral metastases of a non-small cell cancer of the lung.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings illustrate the importance of initially maintaining a tentative attitude toward causation of symptoms and the role of brain imaging in formulating an accurate diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric University Clinic, University of Basel, Wilhelm-Klein-Strasse 27, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ozgur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yaldizli
authors.forename: Friedrich M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Wurst
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Euler
authors.forename: Berenika
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Willi
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wiesbeck
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001259:Ataxia / Q000150:complications; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014899:Wernicke Encephalopathy / Q000175:diagnosis*