Eclamptic encephalopathy: imaging and pathogenetic considerations.
Eclampsia is a rare condition peculiar to pregnant and puerperal women, characterized by clinical pre-eclampsia (hypertension, proteinuria, edema) and generalized seizures. Three cases of eclamptic encephalopathy are reported: CT and MRI demonstrated transient abnormalities in the cortical and subcortical regions of the posterior areas of the brain - namely, parieto-occipital lobes - associated with occasional involvement of basal ganglia and/or brainstem. Pathogenesis is still unclear. Strict similarity with the pathological findings characterizing hypertensive encephalopathy suggests that a focal impairment in cerebral autoregulation may be the cause of vasodilation and fluid extravasation leading to hydrostatic edema; selective involvement of posterior areas could be explained by their lesser degree of adrenergic innervation supporting circulatory autoregulation mechanisms.
Manfredi
M
M
Dipartimento di Scienze Neurologiche e della Visione, Universitá di Verona, Italy.
Beltramello
A
A
Bongiovanni
L G
LG
Polo
A
A
Pistoia
L
L
Rizzuto
N
N
D000328:Adult; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000502:physiology; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology; D004461:Eclampsia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011247:Pregnancy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000502:physiology