Assessment of vasogenic edema in eclampsia using diffusion imaging

We qualitatively assessed the regional distribution of vasogenic edema in a case of postpartum eclampsia. Although diffusion-weighted imaging showed n o abnormalities, bilateral high signal was seen on T2-weighted images and a pparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps. ADC of 1.45 +/- 0.10 mm(2)/s X 10 (-3) for the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) territory and 1.22 +/- 0.12 mm (2)/s x 10(-3) for the watershed areas were significantly higher than those in the territories of the anterior (0.85 +/- 0.07 mm(2)/s x 10(-3)) and mi ddle cerebral (0.79 +/- 0.06 mm(2)/s x 10(-3))arteries (P < 0.05). The pred ilection of ADC changes within the PCA territory and in a previously undesc ribed watershed distribution supports the hypothesis that vasogenic edema i n eclampsia is due to hypertension-induced failure of vascular autoregulati on.