title: Postpartum reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome.
abstract: Postpartum reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, also known as postpartum cerebral angiopathy, is clinically characterized by headache and focal neurologic deficits, and angiographically by transient, fully reversible cerebral vasoconstriction. A 26-year-old woman was brought to the emergency room with a 3-day history of confusion, agitation, and headache. She was 2 weeks postpartum. She went on to develop right leg weakness two days after admission. A cerebral angiogram showed diffuse irregularities of all intracerebral vessels, and MRI showed multiple acute infarcts. Her clinical condition improved significantly over the next several days without any intervention, and she was discharged. MRA 3 months after initial presentation was normal. It is important to consider this syndrome in the differential diagnosis in patients presenting with headache and focal neurologic deficits in the postpartum period.
authors.affiliation: University of North Dakota, Meritcare Hospital, Fargo, North Dakota shekaransat@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Satish
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chandrashekaran
authors.forename: Sameer
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parikh
authors.forename: Prashant
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kapoor
authors.forename: Sreevidya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Subbarayan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011247:Pregnancy; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000502:physiology; D020301:Vasospasm, Intracranial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging