NEURORADIOLOGICAL MANIFESTATIONS IN POSTPARTUM PATIENTS- A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS

Ravikumar V; Senthilvelmurugan V; Arunraj Ezhumalai

Volume : VII, Issue : VII, July - 2018

NEURORADIOLOGICAL MANIFESTATIONS IN POSTPARTUM PATIENTS- A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS

Ravikumar V, Senthilvelmurugan V, Arunraj Ezhumalai

Abstract :

Objective:To study the radiological profile of patients presenting with neurological manifestations in postpartum period.

Materials and method: This is a retrospective observational study done in postpartum patients with neurological symptoms admitted to obstetrics wards during the year 2016–17.About 40 patients presented with complaints of headache, seizures, altered sensorium, depression, focal neurological deficits were studied using CT/MRI.

Results: Total number of deliveries conducted in the hospital during the study period was nearly about 7300.The cases included are, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), cereal venous thrombosis(CVT),postpartum cereal angiopathy (PCA) and arterial infarction. Total number of patients in whom imaging was positive in the study period was 30, which was 45% of symptomatic patients. Incidence rate of patients with positive findings was 410/100000 deliveries. Incidence of PRES cases during the study period was 14,CVT was 6,patients with abnormal white matter hyperintensities were 8,those with features suggestive of old infarct was two.

Conclusion: PRES and CVT are two most important causes of postpartum headache, seizures and other neurological manifestations. Proper clinical Judgement and timely utilization of appropriate radiological imaging modalities helps in pinning down the diagnosis and providing appropriate treatment.