title: Eclamptic encephalopathy: imaging and pathogenetic considerations.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Neurologiche e della Visione, Universitá di Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manfredi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beltramello
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Bongiovanni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Polo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pistoia
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rizzuto
mesh_terms: 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