Neurological complications without eclampsia during pregnancy in Turkey

Some neurological diseases associated with pregnancy may develop initially during gestation, pregnancy may predispose the patient to some of these diseases or some may occur only with pregnancy. The aim of this study is to draw attention to the rare neurological diseases--other than eclampsia--that develop during pregnancy or the diseases initially described as associated with pregnancy.

Our sample comprised of 16 pregnant women who developed neurological disorders that are rarely encountered or initially reported during this phase, eclampsia excluded.

The proportion of cerebrovascular diseases was 56%. The others included intracranial hypotension accompanied by seizures, cerebral primitive neuroectodermal tumor, ophthalmoplegic migraine, hemiplegic migraine, spinal segmental myoclonus, acute motor axonal neuropathy and acute motor axonal neuropathy associated with ophthalmoplegia.

Our results suggest that by adopting a careful and correct approach and accurate neurological diagnosis, most of these patients could be treated successfully with good prognosis of the newborns.