Advances in imaging findings of preeclampsia-related reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome

Nan Zhang; Linfeng Yang; Aiqing Han; Yuanyuan Wang; Guiwu Zhao; Yue Wang; Tao Chen

doi:10.3389/fnins.2023.1144867

Advances in imaging findings of preeclampsia-related reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome

Front Neurosci. 2023 Mar 31:17:1144867. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1144867. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Nan Zhang¹, Linfeng Yang², Aiqing Han³, Yuanyuan Wang⁴, Guiwu Zhao⁵, Yue Wang², Tao Chen⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
² Department of Radiology, Jinan Maternity and Child Care Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
³ Department of Obstetrics, Jinan Maternity and Child Care Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
⁴ Department of Radiology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong, China.
⁵ Zhucheng Peace Medical Imaging Diagnosis Center, Weifang, Shandong, China.
⁶ Department of Clinical Laboratory, Jinan Maternity and Child Care Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China.

Abstract

Preeclampsia (PE)-related reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome (RPLS) is a common complication of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. The syndrome usually occurs after 20 weeks of gestation and can lead to brain injury. Severe headache, seizures, disturbance of consciousness, and other neurological symptoms may occur in severe cases. PE-RPLS has high morbidity and mortality rates and seriously damages maternal and fetal health. In recent years, the continuous advancement of medical imaging technology has provided an important imaging basis for the early diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of RPLS. This article mainly details the research status of the etiology and pathogenesis of PE-RPLS and describes its characteristic imaging findings, especially MRI findings, to provide new insights into its early diagnosis, early treatment, and improvement of prognosis.

Keywords: magnetic resonance imaging; multimodal brain MRI; neuroimaging; preeclampsia; reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome (RPLS).

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the Technology Development Plan of Jinan (202134072 and 202225035), the Science and Technology Project of Jinan Municipal Health Commission (2021-2-89 and 2021-2-93), and the Special Fund for Scientific and Technological Innovation of Shandong Maternal and Child Health Care Commission (Lu Fu You Xie Fa 2021-19).