Brain MRI in peripartum seizures: usefulness of combined T2 and diffusion weighted MR imaging

Peripartum seizure is a serious disease with significant morbidity and mort ality for women and their unborn children. The underlying etiologies are va ried, with eclampsia and venous stroke bring the most common causes, T2 wei ghted MR images of the brain show hyperintense lesions in either condition. Diffusion weighted MR images (DWI) of the brain is abnormal in strokes, We report three cases of eclampsia with abnormal T2 weighted images, but norm al DWI. Diffusion weighted MR images in association with T2 weighted MR ima ges can be extremely helpful in evaluation of women with new onset peripart um seizures. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserve d.