TY - JOUR
T1 - Low Neonatal Birth Weight as a Possible Predictive Factor for the Onset of Postpartum Eclampsia
AU - Tersigni, Chiara
AU - Esposito, Giuseppe
AU - Albanese, Alessio
AU - D'Ippolito, Silvia
AU - Sabatino, Giovanni
AU - Di Simone, Nicoletta
AU - Caruso, Alessandro
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Objective. To report about a case of complicated late postpartum eclampsia where neonatal low birth weight could be considered a predictive factor of placental sufferance. Methods. A 25-year-old woman, without medical or familiar history for hypertension or cerebrovascular diseases, underwent a normal spontaneous delivery with neonatal birth weight of 2340 g (9th percentile). Eight days later the patient presented sudden headache and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Results. Blood hypertension and alterations in laboratory studies were detected; a diagnosis of late postpartum eclampsia was made. A CT scan showed subarachnoid hemorrhage (Hunt and hess grade I, Fisher grade III). Serial cerebral angiograms did not show any intracranial vascular malformations; epilepsy and hypertension were successfully medically treated; and a repeat CT examination showed the gradual resolution of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Headache progressively disappeared. Conclusions. Low neonatal birth weight could be linked to placental dysfunction and considered as a predictive factor for the onset of postpartum preeclampsia/eclampsia. We recommend a careful clinical and laboratory management of puerperium up to the first month postpartum, in particular in cases of "sine causa" neonatal low birth weight.
AB - Objective. To report about a case of complicated late postpartum eclampsia where neonatal low birth weight could be considered a predictive factor of placental sufferance. Methods. A 25-year-old woman, without medical or familiar history for hypertension or cerebrovascular diseases, underwent a normal spontaneous delivery with neonatal birth weight of 2340 g (9th percentile). Eight days later the patient presented sudden headache and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Results. Blood hypertension and alterations in laboratory studies were detected; a diagnosis of late postpartum eclampsia was made. A CT scan showed subarachnoid hemorrhage (Hunt and hess grade I, Fisher grade III). Serial cerebral angiograms did not show any intracranial vascular malformations; epilepsy and hypertension were successfully medically treated; and a repeat CT examination showed the gradual resolution of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Headache progressively disappeared. Conclusions. Low neonatal birth weight could be linked to placental dysfunction and considered as a predictive factor for the onset of postpartum preeclampsia/eclampsia. We recommend a careful clinical and laboratory management of puerperium up to the first month postpartum, in particular in cases of "sine causa" neonatal low birth weight.
KW - postpartum eclampsia
KW - postpartum eclampsia
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/6868
U2 - 10.3109/10641955.2010.506231
DO - 10.3109/10641955.2010.506231
M3 - Article
SN - 1064-1955
SP - 203
EP - 207
JO - Hypertension in Pregnancy
JF - Hypertension in Pregnancy
ER -