[Unusual acute encephalopathy in a young patient with end-stage renal disease]

Posterior reversible encephalopathy represents a neurotoxic state which can be associated to different pathological situations. The key to diagnosis are characteristic features on magnetic resonance imaging and rapidly evolving neurological symptoms if recognized and treated rapidly. Arterial hypertension and preeclampsia are the main causes of posterior reversible encephalopathy. Metabolic disorders including renal failure can also be associated with this syndrome. We report the clinical observation of an 18-year-old young patient on chronic hemodialysis who presented a status epilepticus associated with hypertensive crisis, two weeks after his transfer to peritoneal dialysis. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a typical aspect of posterior reversible encephalopathy with intracerebral haemorrhage. The evolution was favorable with a clear improvement of encephalic lesions.