Posterior reversible encephalopathy in a pregnant woman without preeclampsia or eclampsia: A case report

We report a case of a pregnant woman who presented posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) without pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, or any other common causes of PRES.

A 32-year-old primigravida at 25 weeks and 4 days of gestation was admitted to neurology department because of suffering intermittent headache, hearing loss, memory loss with mental and behavioral disorder, and blurred vision for 1 month. She was healthy before without hypertension, migraine, or other medical or family history. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed diffuse symmetrical high-signal intensity lesions in the white matter, medulla oblongata, without enhancement. After completely multidisciplinary discussion and with the family of the patient, she accepted termination of pregnancy.

After the operation, the patient improved symptomatically. The follow-up MRI showed a decrease of the white matter lesion after 3 months and complete recovery at postoperative 6 months. The patient returned to work without any neurological sequelae.

It might widen the cause spectrum of PRES that pregnancy itself without pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, or any other known risk factors could cause PRES. Pregnancy with acute or subacute leukoencephalopathy should be screened related causes and risk factors carefully. Hormonal fluctuations during the pregnancy might account for pregnancy-related PRES.