Cerebrovascular Disease during Pregnancy

ABSTRACT

Cerebrovascular lesions during pregnancy, although uncommon, account for a significant number of maternal deaths. Maternal mortality related to stroke is usually associated with eclampsia complicated by cerebral edema or intracerebral hemorrhage. At times, hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage, cerebral arteriovenous malformation, and moyamoya disease may also be related. Nine patients with cerebrovascular disease during pregnancy were reviewed. The mean age of pregnancy related hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage was 32.1+/-6.6years and the time of attack was intrauterine pregnancy(IUP) 27.2+/-13.8 weeks. The basal ganglia hemorrhage was noted in 55.5%(5 ca-ses), followed by intraventricular hemorrhage(IVH)(4 cases) and subcortical hemorrhage(3 cases). The pregnancy related hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage was developed more often in multigravida(6 out of 9) than in priemiparous woman. Good outcome was expected in patients with subcortical location(p=0.058), primigravida(p=0.058), and high initial GCS score(p=0.056).