OCCIPITAL LOBE EPILEPSY - A CHRONIC CONDITION RELATED TO TRANSIENT OCCIPITAL LOBE INVOLVEMENT IN ECLAMPSIA

Eleven hours and 6 days, respectively, after childbirth 2 women exhibi ted hypertension and paroxysmal visual disturbances followed by tonic- clonic seizures and no other preeclamptic signs. Both developed partia l epilepsy with occipital lobe seizures with no other neurologic defec ts. Neuroimaging showed no lesion during either the acute episode or 3 -5 year follow-up. Selective vulnerability of the occipital lobes duri ng eclamptic hypertensive encephalopathy was the probable pathophysiol ogic mechanism. Aggressive antihypertensive treatment during the acute phase may have exacerbated the risk of permanent cerebral damage.