MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING IN PUERPERAL SEIZURES - POSTPARTUM ECLAMPSIA OR CEREBRAL VENOUS THROMBOSIS

We reviewed cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in three women with puerperal seizures. One patient had eclampsia and had exten sive parasagittal abnormalities on MRI, but she had a normal neurologi c examination and recovered without sequelae. The other patients prese nted with postpartum seizures but were not eclamptic. Both of these wo men also had parasagittal abnormalities on MRI, which were less severe than the patient with eclampsia. However, both of these patients had neurologic sequelae. One woman had persistent headaches; the other had persistent seizures. In both of these women, EEG showed persistent ep ileptiform abnormalities. Convalescent MRI was normal in all three pat ients. Contrary to recent reports, we suggest that cranial MRI in wome n with puerperal seizures is not specific for eclampsia and does not n ecessarily predict the clinical course.