IMR Press / CEOG / Volume 41 / Issue 6 / DOI: 10.12891/ceog17052014

Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology (CEOG) is published by IMR Press from Volume 47 Issue 1 (2020). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.

Case Report
Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome in obstetric patients. Report of three cases with literature review
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1 Department of Obstetrics&Gynecology, Adnan Menderes University, Faculty of Medicine, Aydın
2 Department of Radiology, Adnan Menderes University, Faculty of Medicine, Aydın (Turkey)
Clin. Exp. Obstet. Gynecol. 2014, 41(6), 730–733; https://doi.org/10.12891/ceog17052014
Published: 10 December 2014
Abstract

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a serious clinico-neuroradiological maternal complication in pregnancy. Although it has various etiologies such as hypertensive encephalopathy, renal failure, autoimmune disorders, sepsis, multiple organ failure, and treatment with immunosuppressant or cytotoxic agents, pregnancy and postpartum complicated by hypertensive disorders more frequently lead to this condition. PRES is clinically characterized by headache, confusion, seizures, vomiting, and visual disturbances with radiographic vasogenic edema especially affecting symmetrical parietal and occipital lobes. The underlying pathophysiology is still a matter of debate. Prompt recognition and early intervention greatly improve the prognosis, so that obstetricians should be well aware of this rare entity. Timely imaging is of crucial importance especially in patients with an uncertain diagnosis for determining the appropriate treatment and preventing the possible development of neurologic deficits. In the present report, three cases of PRES are presented with clinical and radiological findings in pregnancies complicated by severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. The latest literature in the field is also carefully reviewed.
Keywords
Encephalopathy
Eclampsia
Pre-eclampsia
Hypertension
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