[Cerebro-vascular accident during pregnancy (author's transl)]

Cerebro-vascular accident is an uncommon but formidable complication of pregnancy. Faced with these cases, the neurosurgeon and obstetrician might differ in the planning of the treatment, when the interests of mother and child appear to conflict between them. From our clinical data of 5 cases and review of the literatures, the following points should be considered for the management of a cerebro-vascular accident during pregnancy. (1) The possibility of cerebro-vascular accident should be considered in any pregnant patients with neurological symptoms, and full investigation should be done if clini-indicated. (2) Aneurysm and angioma are most often encountered in pregnant patients with a cerebro-vascular accident. (3) Unless labour begins during investigation, a cerebral lesion should be treated before delivery, irrespective of the stage of pregnancy and the method of treatment should be decided primarily on neurosurgical grounds. (4) The time of onset of cerebro-vascular accident may be related to the hemodynamic and hormonal change. It occurs more frequently after the second trimester, when the blood volume and cardiac output reach their peak. (5) Pregnancy per se does not influence the mortality from a cerebro-vascular accident in pregnant patients.