Neurological Complications in Pregnancy and the Puerperium: Methodology for a Clinical Diagnosis

• Published in: Journal of clinical medicine Vol. 12; no. 8; p. 2994
• Main Authors: Lucia, Merlino, Viviana, Matys, Alba, Crognale, Giulia, D'Ovidio, Carlo, Della Rocca, Porpora, Maria Grazia, Luca, Titi, Federica, Viscardi Maria, Immacolata, Volpicelli Agnese, Grazia, Piccioni Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 20.04.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Anticoagulants; Care and treatment; Cerebrovascular disease; Clinical medicine; Convulsions & seizures; Diagnosis; Estrogens; Headaches; Hemorrhage; Homocysteine; Hypertension; Ischemia; Magnetic resonance imaging; Medical imaging; Mortality; Pathogenesis; Postpartum period; Preeclampsia; Pregnancy; Pregnancy, Complications of; Puerperal disorders; Review; Risk factors; Sinuses; Stroke; Thrombosis; Womens health; Italy; obstetrics; emergency; neurology complication
• ISSN: 2077-0383; 2077-0383
• DOI: 10.3390/jcm12082994

Neurological complications in pregnancy and the puerperium deserve particular attention from specialists due to the worsening of the clinical picture for both the mother and the fetus. This narrative review of existing data in the literature aims to analyze the most common "red flag symptoms" attributable to neurological complications such as pre-eclampsia (PE), eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS), stroke, CVS thrombosis, pituitary apoplexy, amniotic fluid embolism and cerebral aneurysm rupture, with the aim of providing a rapid diagnostic algorithm useful for the early diagnosis and treatment of these complications. The data were derived through the use of PubMed. The results and conclusions of our review are that neurological complications of a vascular nature in pregnancy and the puerperium are conditions that are often difficult to diagnose and manage clinically. For the obstetrics specialist who is faced with these situations, it is always important to have a guide in mind in order to be able to unravel the difficulties of clinical reasoning and promptly arrive at a diagnostic hypothesis.