[A case of preeclampsia-eclampsia reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome]

We report a case of preeclampsiaeclampsia reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome (P-ERPLS).

The patient was a 26-year-old Ethiopian woman in the 30th week of her pregnancy. She consulted internal medicine and ophthalmology department doctors in our university hospital for headache on August 7, 2004. Her visual acuity was counting fingers in both eyes. On August 9, she underwent urgent cesarean section after eclampsia developed. The fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a high signal intensity on white matter in both occipital lobes. The patient visited our ophthalmology clinic again on August 20. We detected minor decreased visual acuity in her left eye, and minor left homonymous hemianopia was diagnosed by the confrontation visual field test. On August 31, the abnormal findings in the FLAIR image had completely disappeared. Her blood pressure returned to the normal range, and her general and visual symptoms improved.

Since a patient with eclampsia is in poor general condition, ophthalmologic examination is limited. However, this syndrome should be considered in a pregnant patient with visual symptoms.