title: Hypertensive encephalopathy with reversible brainstem edema.
abstract: Presented here is a 36-year-old male with arterial hypertension who developed brainstem edema and intracranial hemorrhage. Magnetic resonance scan revealed diffuse brainstem hyperintensity in T2-weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery images, with an increase in apparent diffusion coefficient values. After a reduction in blood pressure, rapid resolution of the brainstem edema was observed on follow-up. The patient's condition was thus interpreted as hypertensive brainstem encephalopathy. While many consider this a vasogenic phenomenon, induced by sudden, severe hypertension, the precise mechanism remains unclear. Prompt recognition and aggressive antihypertensive treatment in such patients are essential to prevent permanent or life-threatening neurologic injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sungjoon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Byung-Kyu
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Hoon
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Brain stem; Edema; Encephalopathy; Hypertension