Brainstem Involvement in Hypertensive Encephalopathy: A Report of Two Cases and Literature Review

• Published in: European neurology Vol. 57; no. 4; pp. 223 - 226
• Main Authors: Uchino, Masafumi, Haga, Daisuke, Nomoto, Jun, Mito, Toshiaki, Kuramitsu, Tohru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland S. Karger AG 01.01.2007
• Subjects: Adult; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Brain Stem - pathology; Cerebral Hemorrhage - diagnostic imaging; Confusion - etiology; Confusion - psychology; Headache - etiology; Humans; Hypertensive Encephalopathy - complications; Hypertensive Encephalopathy - diagnosis; Hypertensive Encephalopathy - drug therapy; Hypertensive Encephalopathy - physiopathology; Injections, Intravenous; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Nitroprusside - administration & dosage; Nitroprusside - therapeutic use; Original Paper; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Vasodilator Agents - administration & dosage; Vasodilator Agents - therapeutic use; Verapamil - therapeutic use; Hypertension; Hypertensive encephalopathy, reversibility; Edema; Magnetic resonance imaging; Brainstem

The cerebral hemispheres show prominent involvement in hypertensive encephalopathy far more frequently than the brainstem. Two patients with severe paroxysmally accelerated hypertension associated with brainstem hyperintensity in T 2 -weighted magnetic resonance images are presented. Both present hy...