title: Wernicke's encephalopathy in a patient with masticator and parapharyngeal space abscess: a case report.
abstract: Wernicke's encephalopathy is a fatal neurological disease caused by thiamine deficiency. Many reports indicate that Wernicke's encephalopathy is caused by malnutrition. We report the case of a 79-year-old female patient who had a left masticator space and parapharyngeal space abscess who was diagnosed with Wernicke's encephalopathy. She reported problems while eating due to the presence of the abscess, but the true quantities of food she was ingesting were never assessed. Clinicians have a responsibility to provide adequate nutritional support by ensuring that patients receive adequate nutrition. Clinicians should also keep in mind that Wernicke's encephalopathy may occur in patients who experienced prolonged periods of malnutrition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Jai
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6670-2051
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyu-Ho
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8825-638X
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kwan-Soo
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0254-279X
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-An
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7521-2567
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Ho
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4937-7493
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Woo
keywords: Malnutrition; Masticator space and parapharyngeal space abscess; Parenteral nutrition; Wernicke encephalopathy