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Review
. 2023 Apr 20;12(8):2994.
doi: 10.3390/jcm12082994.

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

Merlino Lucia  1 , Matys Viviana  1 , Crognale Alba  1 , D'Ovidio Giulia  1 , Della Rocca Carlo  2 , Maria Grazia Porpora  1 , Titi Luca  3 , Viscardi Maria Federica  1 , Volpicelli Agnese Immacolata  1 , Piccioni Maria Grazia  1
Affiliations
Review

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

Merlino Lucia et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

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.

Keywords: emergency; neurology complication; obstetrics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Algorithm for managing thunderclap headache in a clinical setting.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Algorithm for managing seizures in the clinical setting.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Algorithm for managing acute neurological deficit in the clinical setting.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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