[Alterations of cerebral hemodynamics in pre-eclampsia and eclampsia]

Clinical and pathophysiological aspects of preeclampsia and eclampsia have been found to be responsible for the majority of maternal mortality, but the exact role of them is still unknown. It is conceivable that altered cerebral hemodynamics and autoregulation is responsible for the neurological complications. The background of the cerebral processes is still not clarified. Authors summarize the changes of cerebral circulation which develop during preeclampsia and explanations for cerebral hemodynamic alterations during normal, preeclamptic and exclamptic pregnancies are discussed. They conclude that there is no accurate method for predicting eclampsia. Cerebral hemodynamical studies are only helpful in better understanding the pathophysiological background of preeclampsia-eclampsia syndrome at present.