An uncommon cause of acutely altered mental status in a renal transplant recipient

Neurological complications are quite frequent in patients after solid organ transplantation presenting with focal or generalized neurologic symptoms as well as altered mental status. Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome is a rare cliniconeuroradiological entity characterized by headache, altered mental status, cortical blindness, seizures, and other focal neurological signs and a diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging.

We present a case of a 57-year-old woman with one episode of seizures and sudden onset of altered mental status (time and person perception) accompanied with headache at the thirtieth postoperative day after renal transplantation.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, although an uncommon post-renal transplantation complication, should be considered in these patients, as several factors surrounding the setting of transplantation have been implicated in its development. Thus, physicians should be aware of this condition in order to establish the diagnosis and offer appropriate treatment.